Mobile phone radiation causes damage to kidney

Before we reach in to the 2009, just in time to make the 2008 news cycle, a new research study suggests that mobile phone radiation can actually cause kidney damage. While radiation from mobile phones has been blamed for everything from killing bees to causing cancer and mental retardation, this may be the first time that mobile phones have been linked to kidney damage.

Researchers found that low-level radiation - even lower than the dose we get from pushing a handset up against your face - caused the hemoglobin in red blood cells to leak out into the bloodstream. The hemoglobin build-up could eventually lead to heart disease and kidney stones, according to the researchers.

Of course, the Federation of the Electronics Industry has already countered the findings with their assertion that there is still no consistent evidence that mobile phones are actually doing more harm than good. Still, it might be a good idea to use that hands-free kit you got over the holidays...Deals for Nokia 6600 slide on 3 .

Google Gives Cash Gift With Android Phone

Biggest search engine, Google Inc. is giving employees G1 mobile phones instead of cash gifts this year as it reins in costs during the recession, according to a person familiar with the matter.

About 85 percent of workers will get a handset powered by Google’s G1 Android operating system as a holiday gift, said the person, who asked not to be identified. Google handed out $1,000 cash gifts to most employees last year.

Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said last month that Google is seeking to control expenses and add fewer jobs as the global slump curbs online advertising growth. T-Mobile USA Inc. began marketing the G1 Android phone in October, offering many of the same features as Apple Inc.’s iPhone, including Web browsing. The holiday gift is separate from the performance bonus handed out by the company, the person said.

“The current economic crisis requires us to be more conservative about how we spend our money,” Mountain View, California-based Google said in an internal memo that was posted on technology industry blog Valleywag. Buy Samsung S7330 on 3 cheap deals.

Christmas Movies : A Traditional Release Time

For a lot of families, Christmas is time for traditions -- keeping with the old, but also starting some new ones. And with a lot of children’s' movies opening on Christmas Day, we found many families are starting a tradition of presents and then popcorn.

Brandi Davis, Box Office Worker - "$12 please." Brandi Davis says Christmas is big day for movies. Davis - "Marley and Me was sold out for the first show."The second Christmas Day showing of Owen Wilson's new movie about a dog-gone-wild sold out at the Carmike Cinema in Lynchburg's River Ridge Mall. Get that popcorn ready. Jeff Walker, Cinema Worker - "Marley and Me and then Bedtime Stories. I think those are going to be two big kids’ movies."

A good family movie is the reason Tammy Stoner has brought out her four kids. Tammy Stoner - "Hoping to make it a tradition." It's the first time she has ever taken her daughter, McKenna to a movie. McKenna "This is my first time." She's excited to see Adam Sandler's new movie, Bedtime Stories. McKenna -" There's going to be a lot of fun parts." Families say it's a fun way to spend Christmas Day. Paul Butler, Seeing Bedtime Stories - "Get together in the morning, have lunch go to the movies, go to see some friends tonight. Back to work tomorrow." And not all moviegoers are coming to theatres today for family bonding.

Bobbi Powell, Taking a Break from Family - "We escaped!" They're just trying to get some alone time on Christmas. John Powell, On His Honeymoon - "So we dropped our baby off with the in-laws and we ran away." Newlyweds Bobby and John Powell have had little too much family togetherness.

Study shows Google dominates advertising market

It will surprise no one that Google accounts for a lion's share of the ad server market. However, it may come as a shock that Microsoft holds only the equivalent of a lion's paw.

Attributor, a content-tracking company, analyzed ad server calls across 75 million domains in October. According to the data Attributor released this week, Google--through DoubleClick and AdSense--accounts for 56.5 percent market share.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's equivalent figure hovers at 3.8 percent. Yahoo came in behind Google with 9.7 percent. If Microsoft and Yahoo ever end up combining forces, they still wouldn't touch Google.

A server call, by the way, is the "moment when a Web site requests an ad to serve up to a user. The study examined whose ad code was on that page," according to AdAge.com.

TCS from Tata Group is sponsoring Ferrari in India

Indian technology giant, TCS (Tata Consultancy) announced on Thursday a sponsorship deal with Formula One team Ferrari, bucking predictions that the sport could collapse in the global economic crisis.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will display its logo on Ferrari cars during the 2009 season, a company statement released in Mumbai said. "TCS has entered into a historic agreement with Ferrari for an enhanced technology and marketing partnership," it said, without giving financial details of the deal.

Last week Formula One agreed cost-cutting measures following a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Monaco.

The sport's governing body is clamping down on costs as it struggles to survive the global credit crisis. Honda's recent shock withdrawal from the Formula One raised fresh fears over the future of the multi-million dollar sport. TCS has been a technology partner of the Ferrari team since 2005. Cheaper mobile phone Samsung S7330 on 3 deals.

Need to become online facilities

In order to remain alive in the competitive era, every organisation needs to get the most out of their web presence and develop profitable one-to-one relationships with their customers.

For example, web analytics are increasingly being applied in the finance sector to better understand the behaviour of consumers within websites and measure a visitor’s journey and habits through a site. This intelligence can be used in a number of ways including measuring the return on investment of online customer service sites to growing online bank accounts, increasing cross-selling and improving the effectiveness of company portals.

Effective analytics also help integrate all your offline marketing activities with your online programmes providing a good overview. NS&I (National Savings and Investments) recently began applying web analytics to help them better understand their customers and maximise the return of its marketing campaigns.

On buying a BlackBerry John McCain is in your phone

Forget camping out at Best Buy on Black Friday. The place to go was John McCain’s headquarters on Thursday where you could buy laptops, filing cabinets, office furniture, and even BlackBerries at prices that makes Woot look like Tiffany’s.

Plus, act today, and get John McCain’s personal phone number. Want some public relations advice on how to deal with the media? Buy a BlackBerry and get email addresses to the Palin communications team! Have a problem with your pipes and are uncertain about Israel? Shop today and get Joe the Plumber’s personal contact information!

They lamented that “most of the good stuff was gone.” Little did they know, however, that in a world where connections are everything — they got the Holy Grail. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other personal contact information to some pretty powerful people.

Tisha Thompson and Rick Yarborough write: The hottest item? BlackBerry phones at $20 a piece. There were only 10 left. All of the batteries had died. There were no chargers for sale. But people were snatching them up. So, we bought a couple. And ended up with a lot more than we bargained for. Buy a Sony Ericsson C905 on three .

INQ INQ1 : First Complete Social Mobile

According to recent research, there has been a substantial increase in Internet usage conducted on mobile devices. To give just one example, the number of page views in April 2008 was over 15 million while the figure for September 2008 was over 35 million. 3’s own data for Internet traffic via 3 mobiles show that there are around 50,000 visitors checking out Facebook on a daily basis. This trend, 3 believes, will be the ideal environment for the entry of the INQ1.

This mobile handset has been developed by INQ, a company backed by Hutchison Whampoa. Incidentally INQ is the company responsible for the development of the 3 Skype phone. With this new product, INQ has built the software front-end. The result is the INQ1 which is described as the world’s first Social Mobile handset to integrate email, instant messaging and social networking within a user-friendly interface.

The INQ1 is a slider model that measures 97 x 47.6 x 14.4mm in its closed state. Weighing 110g, the handset features a 2.2-inch QVGA, 262k colour TFT screen. This is not a touch screen although it does possess an auto-landscape orientation feature for use in browser mode. Internal memory is 50MB which can be supplemented by the inclusion of a 1GB micro-SD card in the box while further expansion of up to 4GB is possible.

For entertainment purposes there is a 3.2 megapixel camera with picture blogging and the facility to upload photos direct to Facebook; MP3 music playing capability; and Java compatible games pre-loaded. Connectivity is handled by Bluetooth and USB 2.0 while the handset is HSDPA enabled. Power is provided by an internal battery pack that is rated at supplying 329 hours on standby or 324 minutes of application depended talk time. Buy a cheap mobile phone Sony Ericsson Z750i on 3 .

No sales crisis ; Ferrari denies

Ferrari has officially denied of being a victim to the global economic crisis, even though it plans to shed up to 10 per cent of its workforce this week. Global sales at the Italian supercar maker have dived from almost 600 a month to just 92 cars in November and Ferrari is now negotiating with Italy’s trade unions to trim unwanted road-car production staff.

The company has admitted it could shed up to 300 employees as early as this Friday. Ferrari will also shut its Maranello production plant for an unprecedented 20 days over Christmas, which sources insist will be to prevent vehicle stockpiles reaching unmanageable levels. The company won its 16th F1 World Constructor’s Championship last month and still boasts of a two-year waiting list on its high-priced, exclusive road cars, but sources said that troubling stocks have built up at some of its distributors around the world, particularly in the UK.

As recently as the Paris motor show last October, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo had been speaking of a sales target of 10,000 cars for 2010 which, even with the new Ferrari California on stream early next year, now seems wildly optimistic.

Sony Ericsson W350i : Portable music player

The Sony Ericsson W350i is a small portable music player phone. It comes with the capacity to store up to 470 songs on its memory card and features the excellent TrackID recognition. It is a flip phone offering a superb listening experience. With this phone you can get instant access to your music player or tune in to FM radio. The W350i comes equipped with Bluetooth capabilities.

The Sony Ericsson W350i comes integrated with a 1.3 mega pixel camera with 4 X digital zoom and Internet access via Access NetFront. Visit online Mobile Phone shops right away and grab the best deals of this handset. Buy Motorola Razr2 V9 on 3 mobile deals.

Yahoo-Virgin mobile contract for British mobile search deal

Yahoo Inc and Virgin Mobile Network have agreed a deal making Yahoo search the exclusive pre-installed search service for Virgin's 4 million mobile subscribers in Britain, the two companies said on Monday.

Yahoo is hoping to steal a lead on rival Google in the nascent mobile search and advertising markets, having lost the battle for dominance in the desktop computer search market, and is spearheading its European efforts in Britain. "We will continue to focus on investing in this area. It falls squarely within our strategy of indispensable starting points," the head of Yahoo's mobile operations in Europe, Mitch Lazar, told Reuters by telephone.

Yahoo aims to make itself a favorite starting point for Internet consumers, providing easy access to popular services and relevant information without needing to own those services and information itself. The Virgin deal will bring Yahoo's coverage of the British population using mobile search up to 80 percent from about 76 percent previously through its partnerships with operators, Yahoo said, citing m:metrics data.

Christmas 2008 : Right time to choose right gadget gifts

Friends, now this is the peak time that you take a decision as the Christmas is round the corner. This Christmas, you would definitely come across a lot and special festive offers. But, this is the right time to get up, compare best of the deals, and to pick withe the best possible gifts. After comparing the christmas mobile phone deals in the market, you would definitelyget to the difference.

Keeping in our mind about all types of preferences for the UK residents, We are offering a lot of special gifts and offers withe mobile phone deals available in the UK market. Now, you can afford the best deals in the market. To shop and enjoy this Christmas festival to the fullest, log on to http://www.mobilephonedealsfreegifts.co.uk/

McDonald's charged for Nude Photo Leak to Internet

Phillip Sherman and his wife, Tina, are demanding $3 million from the McDonald’s burger chain for "emotional distress, embarrassment and damage to their reputations." Why?

Because Phillip Sherman accidentally forgot his phone at a McDonald’s this past July. On the phone, Phillip kept nude pictures his wife had sent him. Not long after he retrieved the phone, the naked pictures of his wife appeared on the Internet! The furious couple are now suing McDonald’s, as well as the owner and the manager of the Fayetteville McDonald’s restaurant where the phone was forgotten.

Probably not a scandal that will have much effect on the corporation which has spread across the world. Hopefully, however, the employee who leaked the footage will pay the price.

Google shutting down 'Lively'

Once thought to be its answer to virtual worlds like Second Life, Google's Lively launched this summer to much fanfare. Lively was Web-based and allowed anyone to set up virtual spaces, such as rooms, that could be embedded onto blogs or Facebook pages.

But the project never picked up much steam. Now, Google has decided to shut the project down.

"Despite all the virtual high fives and creative rooms everyone has enjoyed in the last four and a half months, we've decided to shut Lively down at the end of the year," Google said on its official blog Wednesday evening. "It has been a tough decision, but we want to ensure that we prioritize our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps business."

The post said that those who were working on the Lively team would be reassigned to other areas within Google, suggesting that the move does not mean layoffs. Google also said that because the project is being shut completely down, it is encouraging "all Lively users to capture your hard work by taking videos and screenshots of your rooms." More news on google.

Extrasolar Planets : First Pictures Disclosed

Beautiful new images reveal our first visual glimpse that other solar systems share planets just like ours does

One of the central themes both to science fiction and to real-life space progress was the drive to find and eventually travel to extrasolar plants. In recent years, constantly improving computer processing and better imaging technology have allowed scientists to at last confirm what many have long fantasized -- there's a wealth of planets outside our solar system.

From water bearing planets to ultra-hot ones, and even with a few that resembled larger versions of Earth, extrasolar planets thus far have shown great variety. Most of these planets were detected using Doppler, or "wobble," technique to locate stars which were tugged at by the gravity of orbiting planets, leading to a wobble. Thus far, infrared images from the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and spectral analysis of composition had provided us of our clearest picture of these worlds. However, the public has never seen a picture of an extrasolar planet -- until now. Writen by Rahul Vishela SEO.

President Obama using Web videos for addressing

US elected President Barack Obama is planning to tape a weekly address not just for radio listeners, as presidents have for years, but for YouTube Internet viewers, too.

Well, what else would you expect from a president born at the tail end of the baby boom? Connecting the White House hearth to the American home, Franklin Roosevelt talked to the people through the radio, with crackling broadcasts delivered near a crackling fire. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan mastered television. For Obama, who built a big part of his campaign on the Internet, it's YouTube.

About 75 years after Roosevelt used a new medium to reach out during troubled times, the president-elect is doing the same with Web videos. Obama was recording a four-minute address Friday at his transition office in Chicago. It will be posted Saturday through a YouTube link on his transition Web site, http://www.change.gov. And he will continue to do the videos when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Gmail Launches Video Chat Today

Google launched Gmail voice and video chat, making it simple for people around the world to chat in high-quality video for free right within Gmail. All you need is a webcam and a small web browser plugin, and you can start video chatting with your friends, family, and coworkers on Gmail and Google Apps. Gmail voice and video chat lets you start a video chat without switching to another application or signing up for another account. And if you don't have a webcam, you can simply chat by voice. We've made it easy enough that your mom -- or your employees -- will actually use it.

The launch comes as video communication grows in popularity; many of the latest lines of laptops, for example, come with built-in webcams. Businesses stretched across continents and timezones want more face-to-face collaboration among their employees, but in this economic climate, they're looking for ways to cut travel and IT expenses. Having a meeting with a colleague over video allows communications to continue in person without the expense of traveling there. Whether it's a coworker demoing a new product, or a first-time grandmother saying hello to her new grandson, sometimes there's no substitute for speaking to and seeing someone. Google is offering browser-based voice and video chat as a natural extension to webmail and instant messaging, allowing people to choose how they want to communicate at each moment -- by email, instant message, voice, or video.

Apple's iPhone beats RIM's Blackberry to number two spot

When it comes to smartphone sales numbers, Apple's iPhone is now number two globally, after less than a year and a half in the market. While there has been some percieved inflation in Apple's numbers, no one can deny that after less than a year and a half, Apple's iconic smartphone has changed the gadget landscape.

During last month's Q4 earnings call, Steve Jobs boasted that Apple had beat RIM. He gave a figre of just under seven million units for the quarter compared to RIM's just over six million. UK based Canalys has just backed up those numbers and has declared Apple the number two smartphone maker in the world.

It is indeed impressive - especially when you consider a number of factors:

* Apple not only passed RIM but also embattled Motorola which fell to 4th
* A large portion of Nokia's "smartphones" (like the popular N95, Nokia N96) have no QWERTY entry, all but eliminating them from real mobile messaging capabilities
* In most markets (like the US with AT&T) Apple is only on one national carrier, while the other companies like HTC (HTC mobile phones) are carrier agnostic.

US Mobile Phone Market : Winner is Samsung

Samsung Electronics Co. became the largest mobile phone maker in the U.S. by market share for the first time during the third quarter, knocking Motorola Inc. from the perch, according to research by independent consulting firm Strategy Analytics.

Despite the economic crisis, mobile phone shipments in the U.S. rose 6.2% to 47.4 million in the quarter. Samsung registered a 22.4% market share in the U.S., helped by its growing retail presence and high-end cellphone portfolio, Strategy Analytics said.

Samsung posted a 44% slump in third-quarter net profit on a sharp fall in prices of chips and flat panels. Margins fell at its cellphone business, although the company did ship 22% more phones than the year earlier. Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, maintained its double-digit percentage market share for the second straight quarter as it continues to see solid demand.

Apple Inc. reached sixth place, helped by AT&T Inc. subsidies for the iPhone. Global mobile handset shipments grew 5.4% in the third quarter, Strategy Analytics said last week.

Top 10 cars, that Americans hate

Times are so difficult for the auto industry that even Toyota and Honda have now experienced the kinds of double-digit sales dips that have been plaguing American auto giants General Motors and Ford all year. Sales for the entire industry were down 26.6 percent collectively in September as consumers grew skittish about making big-ticket purchases.

In good economic times and bad alike, however, there are some vehicles that American consumers seem to abhor outright. And they're not just the big, gas-guzzling SUVs that are currently out of favor. It turns out, the cars American consumers hate the most come in many different shapes and sizes, and they're disliked for a wide array of reasons.

"Buyers make the same choices and buy the safe brand," says Jessica Caldwell, manager of pricing and industry analysis at Edmunds.com, an automotive consumer information Web site. "They are not thinking outside the box and buying something that may stand out as an odd purchase."

But then there's well-earned hatred, particularly due to quality issues, which is the case with the Jaguar XJ, of which only 10,852 were sold (the leader in the segment, the Cadillac DTS, saw sales above 135,000). The Jaguar brand was sold last year to Indian company Tata Motors, and when Jaguar lost its British edge it also lost favor with American buyers, says Caldwell. Even though the quality problems of Jaguars, to that point, had been well-known among consumers, the idea of having a British car parked in the driveway was, for a long time, enough to attract loyal American buyers. Written by Rahul Vishela

X Rated Series from Samsung Mobile Phone

If we talk specifically about the Samsung x series mobile phone, it is a compact size mobile phone, flooded with lots of features like music, video recording and so on. There is 2-mega pixel camera, with music player, 80 MB memory, wide screen and Bluetooth functionality. The Samsung x series mobile phones are durable and light-weight handset that you can easily befit in your pocket. For music lovers, the Samsung x series mobile phone offer MP3 player, AAC and WMA files. If you find the memory card small for your data, then you can make use of expandable memory card slot. It has a user-friendly interface and quick to use navigational wheel.

The Samsung x series mobile phone are quite nice looking camera phone. You have ample of choice to make among so many handsets available in the market. However, the best way is still making use of World Wide Web. Drawing comparison is another way of finding the best deals in the Samsung x series mobile phone. Make sure, you opt for a handset that is of complete use for you.

Microsoft Introduces Windows 7, Ending Vista Brand

Microsoft introduced what it said would be a slimmer and more responsive version of its Windows operating system on Tuesday, while unceremoniously dropping the brand name Vista for the new product.

The new version will instead be branded Windows 7, because it is the seventh of a long line of operating systems for PCs developed by the company since the 1980s. The company did not say when it would sell Windows 7 to the public.

The company also said that it was planning to introduce a Web-based version of its Office programs, which is aimed at heading off a new wave of competitors like Google Docs and Zoho, which have deployed word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs that run on a Web browser. The company was vague, however, about how it would price the programs and acknowledged that it would face skeptical Wall Street analysts who think the strategy would cannibalize the company’s profitable Office franchise.

After almost two years, Windows Vista is still getting a lackluster reception from consumers and facing a relentless marketing barrage from Apple.

The problem was highlighted last week when Microsoft reported its financial results for the most recent quarter. Its Windows unit reported just a 2 percent rise in revenue against a 4 percent decline in operating income. The computer industry viewed the setback as a shift of historic proportions. The company acknowledged last week that the mix of Windows sales in both mature and emerging markets had tipped more toward low-cost PCs, which come with lower-margin versions of Windows and often not Vista. Sales of Office software rose 23 percent, bringing in more revenue than the operating system.

Russia rebuffs Google on purchase of Begun search engine

Russia has blocked Google’s proposed $160 million acquisition of Zao Begun, a search-and-contextual-advertising company owned by the Russian company Rambler Media, IDG reports.

Google was “very disappointed” with the action by the Federal Antimonopoly Service. “We strongly believe that this acquisition will enable us to significantly improve opportunities for Russian users, advertisers and publishers as well as the entire industry,” the company said.

With Begun, Google, which currently has a mere 5% of the Russian market, would have become the biggest competitor to Yandex, which controls 64% of the market. Begun currently has a 20 percent share.

So, if FAS had allowed the merger you would have two strong companies muscling it out. Google would probably have quickly achieved parity with Yandex, taking, say 15 or 20 percent away from them. Russian users would have benefited from two strong competitors. The denial, then, smells much more like protecting the local company against the mega-American company. Why should Russia let a U.S. company have a big chunk of the Russian market? Only for the benefit of its consumers, but I guess that’s not such a big consideration.

New top 5 gadgets that can change your life

5. Sky HD+ : Apart from Freeview, there has been very little innovation in TV since we all switched to Colour. High-definition changes all that, with eye-popping visuals at up to 1920×1080 resolution.
4. Netbooks : Satnavs may have taken years to get where they are now, but the sub-notebook market has evolved faster than MRSA. The first Asus Eee PC is only a year old, and already there are hundreds of rivals. If you’re still lugging ’round a heavyweight laptop when all you need is a web browser, e-mail and word processor, you’re living in the dark ages.
3. Mobile Broadband : If you have a laptop you can set up shop anywhere and jump online at speeds between 1 and 7 Mbps, and with monthly prices less than BT’s basic packages, it’s finally time to snip the copper connection for good.
2. Modern Satnavs : New models let you tweak maps and report inaccuracies. They calculate routes based on live traffic conditions and journey times of other users. Can your AA Road Atlas do that? What about tracking down the cheapest petrol in your area? If you’re using a satnav incapable of any of those skills, you might as well give up driving altogether.
1. E-Reader : If there’s anything older than John McCain on this planet, it’s books and they haven’t had an update since the invention of the printing press. That’s all changing. The idea of an e-book has been knocking around for as long as there have been word processors, but the problem was that no one would stare at a CRT monitor screen for as long as it likes to read a book. Sony finally made it possible with the Reader, thanks to the E-ink display which is, well, readable. It launched here in the UK last month. Latest news on gadgets can be read here.

Be Hi-tech This Christmas 2008 : Enjoy the Magic of Gadgets

Life has various things to offer. We come across various shades of happiness and sorrows. What concerns us the most are the fleeting moments. At times we enjoy certain moments in such a manner that we tend to hold them forever.

Attractive Nintendo DS games offer innovative features with a great gaming experience. Experience the clear and bright screens, multi player capabilities and impressive animations. The companies offering gaming consoles include Microsoft, Sony, etc. People of all ages are enjoying these games to the fullest. Lady Rolex watches are unique and beautifully crafted to perfection. Most of the women's watches are made from solid 18k yellow gold, white gold or platinum.

Some latest gadgets will also be available in the month of december i.e. the Christmas month. Some of them I am describing under.
Credit Card Wallet with Built in Money Clip : $40.00 from aSpecialGift.com - Wallet's innovative, patented design allows Dad to organize and protect up to 6 of his favorite credit, ID and membership cards, quickly and easily. Money clip on back.
Alarm Clock : $39.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer - This digital alarm clock launches a rotor into the air that flies around the room as the alarm sounds, flying up to 9' in the air, and will not cease ringing until the rotor is returned to the alarm clock base.
Women's Heated USB Gloves : $21.00 from PerpetualKid.com - These Women's USB Heated G-Gloves are fun and functional! Powered by USB ports, your hands will become toasty warm as you work in a cold office. Great gift for co-workers or your favorite geeky computer girl!
Laser Pointer Spy Tool Alpec : $44.95 from Edmund Scientifics - A combination of traditional tools and the technologically advanced laser, this spy tool is ten devices in one. Rugged and built to last.
iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot : $99.95 from Brookstone - The iRobot Looj cleans up to 80 feet of gutter in minutes, not hours. It's the easiest way to keep gutters free-flowing all year round! Gutter cleaning is a dirty, unpleasant job.
The Color Pattern Clock : $59.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer - Unlike standard digital clocks which display traditional Arabic numbers, this unconventional timepiece displays a series of LED-illuminated color patterns to indicate minutes and hours.
Safemate Personal Alcohol Detector : $29.99 from BuyMeBuyMe.com - The Safemate breathalyzer is one of the most accurate personal alcohol detectors available. Features 2 button easy to use design and improved longer lasting battery life. Small enough to fit in your pocket. FDA & CE approved.
Red Hot Laser Light Show : $24.95 from Edmund Scientifics - No more need to travel to costly arenas and theaters, you can experience a high-tech laser light show in the comfort of your own home. Glowing red circles, spheres, lines, and shapes dance across your walls.

Microsoft Support Added To Google Android

When Google, HTC, and T-Mobile unveiled the first Android-powered handset in September, many mobile professionals were disappointed with the lack of Microsoft Exchange support. At the time, officials from T-Mobile and Google said that could easily be remedied by a third-party developer.

With this in mind, Wrike and Intermedia have rolled out a free Android application that will enable users to sync their G1s Exchange servers. The app, ContactsSync, doesn't offer full Exchange syncing, but it does let G1 users load their contacts onto the phone. Changes made on the phone won't be made to your server-based contacts, but the developers said that should change in the future.

The developers also plan full calendar syncing, but e-mail syncing is not in the cards."Users can access their e-mail from Exchange using IMAP, so we don't have plans to sync e-mail," Wrike's Valerie Sinitskaya told gadget blog Gizmodo. Once the application is downloaded onto the handset, setup can be completed by entering your e-mail address and password for the Exchange e-mail account. There is also an advance setup that enables the user to change or manually configure the Exchange Web Services address.

The ContactsSync application can be downloaded here, and it should eventually be in the Android Market. The G1 will officially launch Wednesday, and users can expect multiple applications to pop up addressing the lack of Exchange support. A full syncing app may not appear in the Android Market until content developers are allowed to sell apps, but it may show up earlier at Handango.
Source : http://www.informationweek.com/

Google updated the Chrome browser bugs

Google has now released the developer-oriented update to its Web browser Chrome on thursday that will fix some of the crashes and playback issues in the video and audio files.

Although Chrome is still under beta testing, and for those who have an even higher tolerance for rough-around-the-edges software, Google also offers developer versions. Chrome 0.3.154.3 is the latter; see our earlier post on how to subscribe to the Chrome Dev channel.

"Release 154.0 (the most recent publicly released Chrome developer build) had a few browser crashes, including a crash on startup on tablet PCs running Windows Vista. We fixed the new crashes, and 154.3 should be much more stable," Mark Larson, Google Chrome program manager, said in a mailing list posting Wednesday evening.

The browser wars are back in force, albeit in a more standards-compliant and collegial way, and a major thrust of the resurgent competition is higher performance for faster, more sophisticated Web applications. The first beta version of Firefox 3.1, released Tuesday, brings significant improvements to JavaScript, the programming language that underlies many such applications. Microsoft is on the verge of releasing Internet Explorer 8 (though it still hasn't convinced innumerable people to upgrade even to the current version 7), and the Webkit project that forms the foundation of Apple's Safari browser is being fitted with a new JavaScript engine called Squirrelfish Extreme.

Source : http://www.download.com/

Officially Windows 7 at PDC, WinHEC

Microsoft has confirmed that attendees of its two forthcoming developer conferences get an early version of Windows 7, the next version of its desktop client. The company made the news official on a blog for the Professional Developer Conference (PDC), which takes place in Los Angeles from October 27th to the 30th. The following week will be the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), also in Los Angeles, and those attendees will also get the early beta.

"At this year’s PDC, keynote attendees will be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7," wrote Denise Begley, a Microsoft marketing manager.

2 weeks ago Microsoft was aiming to release a beta at the PDC show, and that internally the company was aiming for a June 2009 final code release. Publicly, Microsoft has said Windows 7 will be released in the first half of 2010. Vista, launched in early 2007, has become a PR problem for Microsoft due to numerous compatibility and performance issues since it hit the market. Microsoft has worked on the operating system over the past 18 months and released one Service Pack, but it has not been enough to counter overwhelming negative consumer sentiment.

Windows 7 won't be a radical departure from Vista. It will feature the same kernel technology, which has been upgraded with the first Service Pack and the release of Windows Server 2008. It will use the same device drivers as Vista as well.

CERN's large hadron collider (LHC) set in motion

Scientists at the CERN laboratory outside Geneva successfully activated the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest, most powerful particle collider, in an attempt to understand the makeup of the universe.

On Wednesday morning, scientists shot the first protons into an about 27-km-long tunnel below the Swiss-French border in the world's most powerful particle accelerator -- the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The 9 billion dollar LHC project operates a tunnel buried 50 meters to 150 meters below the ground. The tunnel, or tube, is designed to facilitate and control a head-on collision between two beams of the same kind of particles -- either protons or ions.

According to documents from CERN, as the European Organization for Nuclear Research is known, each of the two beams will contain about 3,000 bunches of particles. Each bunch will hold as many as 100 billion particles. Despite these huge numbers, the particles are so tiny that a collision between any two is quite small.

The LHC, built since 2003 at a cost of 3.8 billion U.S. dollars, will take scientists to within a split second of a laboratory recreation of the big bang, which they theorize was the massive explosion that created the universe, giving scientists the chance to answer one of humanity's oldest questions: How was the universe created.
Source : http://english.people.com.cn

Top Christmas Gadgets Revealed for 2008

It may only be August, but a host of top brands have been revealing the products they believe will be at the top of Christmas present lists this winter.

Big names such as Microsoft used an industry preview event in London to announce new products set to hit the market. Dozens of firms were set to exhibit, including Apple, Carphone Warehouse, Toshiba and sat nav makers Garmin. Among the products and gadgets on display were the latest compact camera range from Nikon, including the Coolpix P6000 which has in-built GPS navigation.

Edifer exhibited some pre-production speaker systems which should reach shops in time for Christmas, such as the Rainbow, a infrared wireless audio system. Apple iPhone is already in the market, and Nokia has declared the launch of much awaited Nokia N96 in the last week of october and a lots of Christmas mobile phones, just 2 months before the coming christmas.
Source : http://news.sky.com

Google Translate now fits in your pocket

Google has updated yet another one of its products to work better on Apple's iPhone. On Thursday the company launched a new version of its Translate service that lets anyone convert their native tongue into one of the other 23 available languages.

The service has been reworked mainly to appeal to travelers who don't want to carry around phrase books and have their mobile phones with them anyway. In a post about the update, Google software engineer Allen Hutchison notes that the tool uses as minimal an amount of data as possible, so it won't break the bank while you're abroad and incur massive data roaming charges from your carrier. Hutchison says the general number of translations is anywhere between 200-400 per 1MB of data, which is quite a few considering data can cost you at least $0.005 per KB while abroad.
Source : http://reviews.cnet.com

Vodafone reacts to plunge in shares with £1bn buy-back

Vodafone has reacted swiftly to the biggest sell-off of its shares in its history with a £1bn share buy-back programme designed to boost confidence in its flagging valuation.

The mobile phone giant said yesterday it would ask shareholders to approve the buy-back at next Wednesday's annual meeting, after a 14 per cent fall in its share price on Tuesday. That plunge was prompted by a warning from Vodafone that it anticipated revenues to be lower than expected this year, with an economic slowdown in many of its key markets depressing sales.

"Vodafone has considered the market reaction to the group's interim management statement and has decided to introduce a £1bn share repurchase programme with immediate effect," the company said. "This action reflects the board's belief that the share price significantly undervalues Vodafone." Senior executives at Vodafone were taken aback by the savage market reaction to its warning, particularly since many areas of the business, especially in emerging markets, are continuing to perform well.

source : http://www.independent.co.uk/

Apple's IPhone Faces First Test in Fickle Japan Market

In many countries the latest version of the iPhone represents the epitome of high-technology but the picture is different in Japan, which gets its first-ever taste of the iPhone with the Friday launch. Consumers here are used to advanced handsets that handle digital TV, e-money and replace their subway and rail cards for travel, so the reaction the iPhone -- which does none of these -- will get in Japan is being watched with interest.

The original iPhone never went on sale here because the country doesn't use the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard on which it was based. But with the new phone's embrace of the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) standard, it's been snapped up for sale by Softbank, Japan's number three carrier with about 19 million subscribers.

"When the Apple iPhone was announced, I watched Steve Jobs' keynote and thought it looked like a great product and I've wanted one ever since," said Hiroyuki Sano, a student from Nagoya in central Japan.
Source : http://www.pcworld.com

Coming soon, cars with net connection

American automobile manufacturer Chrysler has plans to equip its cars with a system that will enable people to surf the internet while driving. The UConnect Web system is what the company says can bring wireless internet access to cars' dashboards.

Officials at Chrysler have revealed that UConnect Web uses cellular and WiFi technology to provide "instant access" to the internet. According to them, anyone in the car will be able to check email, download music, play games and even upload photos from an SD card. They claim that all wireless devices and " major gaming systems" will work with UConnect.

The company says that the new system will be competitive with laptop wireless cards, and that customers will not be tied to long contracts. It remains to be seen whether consumers want such a system, as there is no evidence suggesting that car buyers want to surf the web behind the wheel. "There could be some opportunity there, but we constantly see that internet access in the car is pretty much at the end of the priorities for consumers. The car is not being seen as an internet-browsing platform," says Thilo Koslowki, an IT analyst with the tech research firm Gartner.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Plans to offer thousands of iPhone apps : Apple

Apple Inc. is betting that customers want to do much more than just make phone calls, surf the Internet and listen to music on their iPhones.

On Monday, it offered a peek at a few of the thousands of applications expected to be introduced for the iPhone beginning in July. Designed by developers outside the Cupertino technology company, they range from mobile games to tools for physicians to examine medical scans. The calculated move could increase the appeal of the iPhone, giving consumers more reason to buy the device. "It's another reason to own and keep an iPhone," said Charles Golvin, an analyst for Forrester Research.

Apple plans to open the Apps Store - an electronic marketplace much like the iTunes music store, but for software - on July 11. Access to the Apps Store will be part of an iPhone software update, which will be free for the iPhone and $9.95 for the iPod touch, the touch-screen iPod.

Source : http://www.sfgate.com

MicroSoft: 360 first to reach 10 million in US

Microsoft has apparently attached a special significance to the number 10 million. Five months before the Xbox 360 launched in November 2005, the company's head of the gaming business Peter Moore publicly stated that the console would sell 10 million units before the end of 2006. Just days into 2007, Microsoft used its CES keynote to announce that it had met that goal. Before and since, the company has publicly announced passing such milestones as 10 million Xbox Live members reached and 10 million pieces of content downloaded from the system's Marketplace storefront.

Today Microsoft added another public proclamation to the stack, saying that the Xbox 360's US installed user base has reached beyond the 10 million mark. The company added that the 360 is the first current-generation console to do so, and stressed the importance of that. "History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle," said Don Mattrick, the current head of Microsoft's gaming business, in a statement. "We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry."

Worldwide, Microsoft said that the Xbox 360 is up to 19 million systems sold, which it initially claimed was "more than any other current-generation console." After being directed to Nintendo's latest financial results, in which the hardware maker revealed that it had sold more than 24 million Wiis to date, a Microsoft representative recanted the initial statement.

Source : http://www.gamespot.com

Microsoft: Xbox 360 captures 60 % of GTAIV sales

Following the launch of Take-Two and Rockstar Games' critically lauded Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, the question on many industry watchers' minds was just how well the heavily anticipated game performed and whether it lived up to its heady expectations. Take-Two kept the stats-hungry mob on edge a full week after, saying just yesterday that the game nailed its reported 6 million sales prediction, generating $500 million in week-one revenue.

While Take-Two kept the industry waiting, Sony, which sponsored a portion of the advertising spots for the game, chimed in a full week prior to extol the game's as-yet-unconfirmed performance. In a congratulatory statement bereft of any hard details, the PlayStation maker said GTAIV "drove sales of the PlayStation 3 entertainment system within the first 24 hours," and not much else.

It now appears that the reason for Sony's ambiguity was that the majority of consumers opted to pick up GTAIV on Microsoft's console. Today on Microsoft's marketing-team-operated GamerScoreBlog, the publisher dished on the stats breakdown for the 6 million copies of the game sold in its first week at market.

"According to retailers, more than 60 percent of all GTA games sold in the first week were the Xbox 360 version," the publisher's marketing team wrote on its blog. Sony had not responded to queries for comment on this claim as of press time. According to the hardware maker's most recent numbers, the Xbox 360's global installed base stands at 19 million, with the PlayStation 3 trailing at 13 million.
Source : http://www.gamespot.com/

Films to hit iTunes with releases on DVDs

Apple said Thursday it has deals with Hollywood studios to make popular films available for its iPods and iPhones via its iTunes online store as soon as the movies are released on DVDs.

Films available in the United States from iTunes this week due to the deals include Academy Award winners "Juno" and "There Will Be Blood." "We're thrilled to bring iTunes store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release," said iTunes vice president Eddy Cue.

"We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios." The roster of studios signed on with iTunes includes 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, according to Apple.

Movies downloaded from iTunes can be viewed on iPhones, video-capable iPods, personal computers, and televisions linked to Apple TV devices. New releases will cost 14.99 dollars to download and 9.99 dollars will be charged for older titles offered in the iTunes catalog, Apple said. ITunes rents newly released films for 3.99 dollars. The freshly-added iTunes feature competes with similar offerings from major US movie rental chain Blockbuster and Internet firm CinemaNow.

Sony BMG joins Nokia's unlimited music service

Concept behind Nokia's new music service "Comes with Music" is starting to catch on with the major music labels.

Sony BMG, one of the four top recording companies, announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Nokia to make its music catalog available on select Nokia devices. After buying one of the devices, users will get unlimited free access to the music of Alicia Keys, the Foo Fighters or any Sony BMG artist for a full year.

During the 12 months of the offer, users will be able to transfer their Comes With Music library to a PC as well as to a new Nokia handheld, but they won't be able to transfer it to iPods or other non-compatible devices. At the end of the year, Nokia users will have the choice of acquiring new music by either purchasing downloads from the Nokia Music store or joining its subscription service.

Nokia is expected to launch the Comes With Music service in the second half of the year. What is groundbreaking about these deals--Universal Music Group was first among the labels to join the service--is that Nokia users can download any song from Sony BMG and keep the music for the rest of their lives. There is no ceiling on the number of songs and the music doesn't disappear at the end of the year.

This is believed to be the labels' deepest foray into free music, and is reflective of the industry's attempt to find new business models that can compete with piracy, shrinking CD sales, and iTunes.
Source : http://www.news.com

Microsft claims XBOX 360 sales double in the european market

Coming to you from Budapest, Hungary, this story caught my eye whilst speed-scanning a few feeds in a smoke-choked coffee shop (yeah, they actually still have those over here). According to Microsoft (by way of Pocket-Lint), sales of the Xbox 360 have more than doubled in Europe.

“Xbox 360 is truly the next-generation console of choice among consumers, and today’s numbers are proof that we are delivering on our commitment to achieve critical mass in Europe,” said Microsoft Europe VP Chris Lewis. “The highly competitive ERP, coupled with entertainment content that’s appealing to everyone in the home, makes Xbox 360 the ultimate high-definition entertainment choice, and it’s clear that we’re already seeing this resonate with consumers.”

Microsoft's also claiming the Xbox 360 is officially the number one next-gen console in Europe, with 42 percent of the market in life-to-date revenue. Microsoft cut the price of the 360 last month, dropping the Arcade to £160, the Pro to £200, and the Elite to £260. It looks like the company's hopes that those cuts would drive sales up dramatically have been momentarily realized. Now it's down to whether upcoming exclusives like Ninja Gaiden 2 -- plus a marketing team that's been working overtime to convince the public the 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will rate superior to the PS3 version -- can maintain the system's formidable software sales momentum.
Source : http://blogs.pcworld.com

Ferrari Roars to be Heard In India Soon

Ferrari is Italy’s most popular brand for cars. It sells its cars more on ‘wow’ factor rather than their price, sales figures or revenue generation. This company offers unique designs and exquisite interiors of the car which are flagship of its brand value.

The company is obsessed with its legacy and this has made the auto company to develop a cheaper and smaller car to the rising demand of the developing nations. “We want to remain an aspirational brand associated with our niche clientele. Our prime target is to maintain exclusivity,” Davide Kluzer, Ferrari spokesperson. Cars from Ferrari are never for mass consumption. They are known for their exclusiveness.

Although Ferrari has no plans to launch any car in India soon, however, it has already started its studies of the Indian auto car market. According to Kluzer, the company marks India as one of the top booming economies along with China, Brazil and Russia. Its current biggest market is North America that accounts for more than 30% sales of the company.
Source : http://www.cartradeindia.com

Urwerk’s New Sexy 202 Hammerhead Automatic Watch Runs With Turbines

Urwerk took their opportunity at SIHH 2008 to unveil their new 202 Hammerhead Automatic wrist watch which has a innovative new winding rate which is geared with fluid dynamics. For over a century, watch makers were playing around with watches powered with air friction, aided by a traditional rotating vane, much more reliable then the old sand-powered hour glass.

The 202 Hammerhead replaces the traditional vane with two mini-turbines which act as mini air compressors. These turbines give the sexy Hammerhead a dynamic flair, as you can watch them move on the rear of the watches face. And oh yeah, it looks really sexy.

Source : http://www.gearfuse.com

Counterfeit Nokia N95s entering the UK market

Dealers and distributors are being warned to check the authenticity of phones they handle. The warning comes as large numbers of counterfeit Nokia handsets have arrived in the UK mobile market in recent weeks, with predictions of bigger shipments in the coming months.

Even experienced retailers are warning that the fakes could easily be mistaken for real products at first glance. Chinese-based exporters are bringing bigger quantities of fake phones to UK wholesalers, and more recently selling to individuals within the UK mobile industry. Mobile obtained a fake N95 8GB this week with few initial clues that it was a counterfeit. Virtually all the parts of the device are understood to be counterfeit, ranging from the box and manual to the casing, battery, camera, software, user interface and even the games. The phone was sold to Mobile for £150, despite the fact that a genuine model has a trade price of around £350.

Concerns are also rising that traders will start mixing fake stock with real phones, and push prices up to ward off any suspicions. Sources said that the current batch are simply the early attempts to copy Nokia phones, and that improvements are currently being carried out in Chinese factories to improve the quality of the fakes. One dealer, who had unwittingly bought a fake, told Mobile: ‘I can’t imagine an older customer would tell the difference. But even for us, how can you tell, unless you put a Sim in every single one, power it up, and give it a proper going over?’

Source : http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/

Ford plans to sell Jaguar, Land Rover to Tata Motors

Ford Motor (F) is about to hand the keys for Jaguar and Land Rover to India-based Tata Motors. The sale is expected to be announced Wednesday, according to a source briefed on the negotiations who did not want to be named because the deal had not yet been made public. Tata is to pay about $2 billion and has agreed to continue to build the vehicles in their British plants. The complicated deal will also cover continued supply of Ford-made components and deal with labor issues. Ford has been working with Tata on details of the sale for several months.

"This represents a first, with an Indian company really stepping outside as an investor with a significant couple of brands," says David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research. "And it enables Ford to convert what has been a pretty extensive part of the company into some needed cash. This is really a pretty big step." Tata Motors, a maker of light and heavy trucks and family cars, is attempting to broaden its global automotive presence.

For struggling Ford, the move sheds two more European luxury brands that had become a drag on cash. Particularly draining was Jaguar, in which Ford sank nearly $10 billion trying to revive the brand after spending $2.5 billion to buy it in a deal that closed in 1990.
Source : http://www.usatoday.com/

Robots fly into Antarctic skies

A pair of lightweight, robotic planes have made the first unmanned flights over Antarctica's icy expanses.

Driven by propeller, the machines made 20 low-altitude sorties, including four over the Weddell Sea. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were launched by catapult but flew autonomously until landing. During some of the test flights the machines were fitted with miniaturised instruments to collect data for use in predictive climate models. "One of the biggest uncertainties in those models is the physics of sea-ice - how it freezes and how it melts," said Dr Phil Anderson of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), one of the team that carried out the tests.

"A lot of this happens during the Antarctic winter - the nine-month period when we can't get ships and aircraft to the bases - so we decided to see if we could [collect this data] by robot aircraft."
Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk

Samsung F400 (SGH-F400) for optimum music playback

Is the Samsung F400 just another glossy looking Samsung slider phone? Not exactly, because the Samsung SGH-F400 incorporates technology from Bang & Olufsen and has a dual-slide arrangement that reveals a loudspeaker for optimum music playback.

There's a lot more to the F400 than its musical capabilities, but as they set the handset apart then it will be worth looking at them first. One immediately obvious feature is the large stereo speaker that slides up from the top of the handset, in a similar manner to the Samsung Serenata and the Samsung i450. This means that the SGH-F400 should be loud enough to actually hear your music tracks or the FM radio properly.

The sound system uses Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower amplification system, it also comes with music recognition, a comprehensive audio library function, Samsung's Digital Natural Sound Engine and other music related goodies. The SGH-F400 takes a standard 3.5mm headphone plug, and it also comes with an FM radio with RDS.

Windows Vista! Only Cheaper!

This is unexpected: Microsoft is slashing the price of some retail versions of Windows Vista, effective when the SP1 version rolls out later this year. Vista Ultimate's full version will go to $319 fro $399 (an upgrade is now $$219, down from $259); Home Premium's upgrade is now $129, down from $159. The Microsoft site has an interview with an exec who talks about the news.

Who will benefit from this development? Basically, folks with Windows XP machines who have chosen not to upgrade to Vista until now because they found it pricey. But it's not as easy as that: Most of those people probably have PCs they bought in 2006 or before, and while some of those aging machines will run Vista well, many won't. (If you bought a Windows XP computer in 2007, I have a hunch you did so specifically to avoid Windows Vista, and therefore today's news means little or nothing to you.)

Source : http://pcworld.com

Google Sites: What's all the fuss?

The launch of Google Sites is like the opening of a movie or play. The critics (including myself) feast on it, churning out copy and opinions as to whether Google Sites is a Microsoft SharePoint killer or merely the McDonald's of wikis, with more nutritional value than the venerable fast food burger and no cost.

Dennis Howlett wasn't impressed. On his ZDNet blog he wrote:"After 16 months at Google developer's hands, the outcome is substandard. This is such a pity. In its JotSpot incarnation, it was far from perfect but that didn't matter because JotSpot was shedding light on a new way of collaborating. Since passing into Google's hands, the guts have been ripped out and then re-assembled with as much Google 'stuff' as they could cram in but rushed to completion."

At the very least, Google should get rid of the gadgets addition facility and rework it. Otherwise, I sense the SMBs at which it is aimed will find the service a turn off.

I'm don't think the guts were ripped out, but JotSpot was given the Google makeover, which is rooted in the way founders Brin and Page think about Web applications. Like Google search, the interface is extremely simple. No boiling the ocean with features no one can comprehend. Dennis pointed to slowness in integrating Google gadgets in Sites and a lack of business-oriented widgets. Maybe Google should have added "beta" to the Sites label. Gmail is still in beta after several years of gestation.
Source : http://www.news.com/

Contraband : Mobile phone with a built-in Gun

A mobile phone with a built-in gun? Not the usual type of device we cover, but then Contraband is not your usual type of graphic novel.

Set in what is perhaps the not-too-distant future, Contraband pictures a society addicted to violent, user-generated content - posted to the "Contraband" network. Imagine YouTube gone very, very bad and you'll get the idea. Perhaps we're not there yet, but several disturbing cases involving YouTube show worrying signs that the future portrayed by Contraband is not as far-fetched as it sounds.

The plot centres around a character called Toby who decides to become a "citizen journalist". After attempting to film a secret transaction, Toby is drawn into a dangerous web of violence, greed and sabotage. On one hand, Contraband examines the social aspects of violence and voyeurism, on the other hand it's a fast paced unusual story with some very attractive artwork (see some details below). In our opinion, Contraband looks like an intelligent and interesting read.. and yes, the mobile phone with a gun does make an appearance.

One interesting feature about Contraband is the background of its writer, TJ Behe who has done extensive work in the mobile content industry, combined with illustrations from Phil Elliott, an experienced artist who has done work for Marvel and DC in the past.
Source : http://mobilegazette.com