Apparently, this forced use of the Android app will continue until the app has been fixed too. This hasn’t been confirmed by Facebook – Business Insider has spoken to a “handful of ex-Facebookers and others familiar with Facebook’s plans” – but it wouldn’t surprise us if it ended up being true. After all, there really isn’t any denying that the Android app could use some work, and one of the best ways to inspire Facebook’s developers to fix it quickly would be to force them to use it while working.

If this is true, then it probably means that we can stop expecting updates to the iOS app for a while. That should be okay, seeing as how the iOS app is already pretty solid, not to mention the fact that it was just updated yesterday. It also means that we can expect the Android app to get updated quickly, because if Facebook’s developers are being forced to use it, you can bet that they’ll be working on getting an update out to door fast so they can stop using a sub-par version of the app as soon as possible.

This is bound to make Android users very happy, because the Facebook app for Android has been in a pretty sad state for a while now. Some were thinking that an update was never going to come, and it sounds like that may have been the case if Facebook hadn’t forced developers to begin using Android phones and leaving their iPhones at home. Hopefully we’ll be finding out soon if these rumors are true, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more information.

At the moment there are no other security threats included in the Symantec portfolio of products, as Adi Robertson of The Verge mentions, but if you’ve got pcAnywhere working anywhere in or around your products at the moment, you should certainly shut it down. What hackers and lovers of busting into your computer alike will be prone to do, if they find that you’re using the software, is to slide in undetected on your pcAnywhere connection and lift whatever they please. Wouldn’t want that happening now, would you?

Last week a group of hackers associating themselves with the Anonymous collective let loose a warning that they had possession of the source code for a handful of Symantec products and that they’d let them go public at the drop of a hat. Because of this, we’ll be keeping an eye out for additional threats as they may appear in coming weeks and months. For now though, as Symantec says, you should be perfectly alright with what you’re running.

[via Symantec]

With Guitar Apprentice users can then learn to play the guitar or play along with apps such as GarageBand. What’s even better though, is with the custom Ion Audio application the strings will light up as indicators when you’ve struck the correct cord — or wrong one when your fingers aren’t long enough like mine. The learning stage each individual fret will light up and direct the user to the proper location that for chord, making the learning experience easy — and fun. If you’ve been eying a good way to finally learn how to impress your friends and family on the guitar this is for you.

Live at CES, the demonstration unit was fully running although the Ion iPad app needed some work and was still very much in beta stages. It did however still put on quite the show and I might of learned how to play a few D chords. Hitting the U.S at just $99 the build quality was better than expected. I was worried about the weight on the end with an iPad being built-in but weight distribution didn’t seem to be an issue.

This is like Guitar Hero but on a whole new level. Ion Audio told SlashGear it will hit the U.S. initially but they plan to launch in other regions and the UK soon. Again the Ion Guitar Apprentice will retail for $99 (£64 approx) and should be available in many of the same retailers as other Ion Audio devices like Best Buy, Walmart and more soon.

The new Final Cut Pro X introduces the tight integration of OpenCL, Quicktime X, Grand Central Dispatch, and Core Graphics and Animation for enhanced performance. Other features include background rendering for improved work flow, Compound Clips, Magnetic Timeline, and Smart Collections. The 64-bit build also means a whole lot more memory beyond 4GB can be thrown at the software for arduous rendering processes.

But beyond and complete revamp of features, Final Cut Pro X also got a pricing makeover. Instead of only being sold in a $999 bundle with Color, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro, the software and add-ons can now be purchased separately and for less. Final Cut Pro X is now priced at $299. Pricing for the other apps have not been confirmed yet.

Macotakara.jp also predicts that the shipping of third-party Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals will coincide with the Final Cut Pro X launch next week.

[via Macotakara]

The most prominent improvement is that the new Final Cut Pro has been rebuilt as a 64-bit application, which will enable it to surpass the 4GB memory available to 32-bit applications.

“Final Cut Pro Ten will no longer be hamstrung by the 4GB of memory that are available to 32-bit applications, and can now take advantage of as much memory as you can throw at the application,” said Peter Steinauer, Architect of Final Cut Pro. “What this means in technical terms is larger, more complex projects, larger formats, larger frames of memory, deeper and richer effects decks, basically all of the things that are ridiculously memory intensive now have full run of all the memory you can throw at the problem.”

The rebuild takes full advantage of Mac OSX Snow Leopard features including OpenCL, Quicktime X, Grand Central Dispatch, and Core Graphics/Animation to enhance performance. The support for background rendering will significantly improve work flow as editors will no longer need to wait for certain parts to be rendered before continuing. In fact, editing can continue even as clips are being imported.

Final Cut Pro X also picked up some new features adapted from its consumer bretheren iMovie 11. Content analysis such as face and people detection as well as wide, medium, or close-up shot range detection have been added as a Smart Collections feature. A Compound Clips feature allows for easy video nesting and a new Magnetic Timeline automatically syncs a video clip with its primary audio clip. You may be able to kiss PluralEyes goodbye now.

Natively, the application can now handle up to 4K resolution-independent playback, non-destructive image stabilization and color balancing, automatic audio cleanup, scalable rendering, and more.

And perhaps most awesome of all is that the new Final Cut Pro X comes unbundled at only $299. Compare that to the current Final Cut Pro version that is available only in a studio bundle with Color, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro for $999. It’s not certain right now whether there will be a studio package for the new version, but Apple promises that more information on those other apps will be announced in the coming weeks. Final Cut Pro X is scheduled to be available in June.

[via ArsTechnica]

The application lets users take notes, make bulleted lists, and checklists. Users will also be able to pull images from their gallery and input them into their notes. Microsoft was also able to develop a slightly altered iOS keyboard, so that shortcuts could be added above the keys. If you’re a user of Microsoft’s Windows SkyDrive to store your information on the cloud, you’ll be happy to know that the iOS-based version also has this ability. This gives users the ability to work from their iOS-based device, save it to SkyDrive, and then finish it on their computer if they so choose. As long as they have OneNote installed there, of course. And to use the app, you’ll need to get yourself a Windows Live ID. Also another move that’s not all that surprising.

As of right now, in a promotional move from Microsoft, OneNote Mobile for iOS is a free download. However, Microsoft has confirmed that they do plan on charging for the application in the near future. However, an exact date to the end of the promotional pricing, and how much the application will cost after that time has not been announced.

[via CNET]

The new Conversation Mode is meant to make it possible for someone to have a conversation, while slightly delayed, with someone who speaks a different language. It’s built as a real-time translation tool. You speak, it will translate for the other person, and vice versa. The technology inside isn’t instantaneous, though, but it’s quick enough that using the software would be worth it, versus having no idea what the other person is talking about, and trying to figure it out in some other, perhaps book-bound fashion.

Accessing Conversation Mode is easy enough. Just translate something initially, and then the mode will pop up as an option. From there, you’ll be able to have a conversation with someone speaking another language. You can watch a demo of the technology at IFA last year, in the video below. The update is available in the Android Market right now.

[via Android Community]

How it works is that VideoSurf will display from the camera on your Android device and ask to be shown the source video for five seconds. After the video has been analyzed, which will be ultra fast over WiFi or Verizon’s LTE network, you will be presented with results including the TV show, episode, runtime, and and full cast list.

VideoSurf has an exclusive partnership with Verizon and the application will launch pre-installed on all the Verizon 4G LTE devices announced today such as the DROID BIONIC, HTC ThunderBolt, LG Revolution, and the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone.

As far as rumors go, anyway. According to the screenshot above, which was nabbed by RazorianFly, it shows us Twitter for Mac. Not interesting in of itself, but apparently the image was leaked right from inside the Mac App Store, and now it’s believed that the application will launch tomorrow with the store.

There are new features coming along for the ride. There’s a native support for retweeting now, and the application will now provide real-time updates. You’ll also have the ability to drag-and-drop tweets, too. If the rumors are true, and the screenshot does indeed suggest that the application will be available tomorrow, make sure that Twitter for Mac is one of your first downloads. Especially considering it should be free.

[via 9to5Mac]

Of course, the feature set is similar to what we’ve seen in the past, on other devices. You’ll have access to Amazon’s Whispersync technology, which will track your last page read, and let you pick up where you left off either on your Windows Phone 7 device, or any other piece of hardware with the same technology on board. You’ll also have access to the same library, with 750,000 books available to download. The app is free, and it’s available right now.

[via Marketplace Browser]

The quick use of the application isn’t a full-blown review, or even an in-depth preview. The application itself, as Snapstick points out, isn’t a full, ready for primetime product quite yet. But, what does seem to be working so far works well enough. Not only can you “snap” content from your iPhone, which you can then control from the phone itself or your laptop, but other people with the application can then control the content on the TV from their respective iPhone, too.

Of course, you’ll need a device to snatch the content from the air after you throw it over. Snapstick isn’t sure if the current prototype, which is a set-top box, will stick around, or if they will incorporate the technology into a Blu-ray player, or maybe even a TV itself. As of right now, there’s no word on a release date or pricing, but with Snapstick obviously taking on Apple TV and Google TV, we can all just hope that a price is competitive.

[via CRAVE]

The i-dration water bottle connects to your smartphone via an application. When it does, it’s able to collect real-time data, regarding how much water you’ve consumed throughout the day so far, as well as the temperature outside. As it collects the data, it takes into account the personal health information you’ve input, as well as other vital stats, and then sends that information back to the i-dration water bottle. Once there, a blue light will turn on if you need to get some more water into your system.

While it’s just a concept that’s still in design right now, the i-dration water bottle will actually make an appearance on the showroom floor of CES 2011. So, stay tuned as more details about this interesting water bottle come to light early next year.

[via Electric Pig]

By the numbers, you’d need 400+ mechanical hard drives and 36U of rack space, PLUS more than 300 times the power you’d usually use to achieve the same result. If you happen to get your hands on one of these, you can bet you’ll get up to 240,000 sustained IOPS and 300GB of SLC solid state storage capacity, all of this in a teeny tiny card (the one you see above.) You can plug it directly into your standard 8 lane PCI-Express Generation 2 server slot. Once plugged in, it can take up to 1,400MB/s of throughput with access latency of under 50 microseconds. That rocks. That rocks so very much. Read the entire press release below:

LSI Bolsters Channel Portfolio with PCI Express Solid-State Storage Card for Application Acceleration

New LSI™ WarpDrive™ plug-and-play I/O acceleration card dramatically improves application performance while reducing rack space, power and cooling costs

MILPITAS, Calif., November 16, 2010 – LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today introduced in the channel the LSI WarpDrive™ SLP-300 acceleration card, a PCI Express (PCIe®) card offering performance up to 240,000 sustained IOPS and 300GB of SLC solid-state storage capacity within a low profile form factor. The WarpDrive card can help customers accelerate application performance, reduce energy costs and eliminate racks of storage by delivering the I/O performance of hundreds of hard disk drives while consuming less than 25 watts of power.

”The LSI WarpDrive card sets a new standard for data center efficiency by providing IT administrators with previously unattainable levels of performance while helping to reduce operational and capital expenditures,” said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. “The WarpDrive card complements the LSI CacheCade™ and FastPath™ solid-state storage acceleration solutions, providing our channel partners with a one-stop shop to address the performance, deployment and integration requirements that high-performance applications and dense computing demand.”

The low-profile, half-length WarpDrive card plugs into a standard 8 lane PCIe Gen 2.0 server slot and is designed to deliver high performance with low latency and a low CPU burden independent of main memory size. It offers system builders, system integrators and their end customers a cost-effective, plug-and-play solution for maximizing the transactional I/O performance of applications such as Web serving, data warehousing, data mining, professional video and high-performance computing.

A WarpDrive card can sustain up to 1,400MB/s of throughput, with reliable and consistent performance across both sequential and random reads and writes. It delivers up to 240,000 4K read IOPS and up to 200,000 4K write IOPS, with access latency of less than 50 microseconds. To achieve equal performance on a write IOPS basis utilizing hard disk drives would require over 400 drives, 36U of rack space and consume more than 300 times the power.

“The LSI PCIe-based WarpDrive card offers simple, effective, and affordable application acceleration for enterprise servers,” said Bob Farkaly, director of marketing, Storage System products for Exar. “Utilizing two WarpDrive cards combined with Exar’s BitWackr ™solution, we measured an aggregate performance of 1,028 MB/second, which is almost twice the speed we were able to achieve with other PCIe-based flash products.”

“Schooner’s MySQL and NoSQL solutions combined with the LSI WarpDrive card provide industry-leading performance for database and key-value stores, delivering over 9x performance throughput increase relative to hard drive configurations and over 3x performance throughput increase relative to alternative PCIe flash-based solutions,” said Dr. John Busch, founder and CTO, Schooner Information Technologies. “Beyond raw IOPS and latency performance, we are very impressed with the LSI WarpDrive card’s performance stability, observing negligible performance variance over time. Also, the LSI WarpDrive card’s very low overhead consumption of server processor and DRAM memory resources enables even higher performance by leaving these resources available for useful application processing and data caching.”

The WarpDrive card utilizes industry-standard and widely deployed LSI SAS software drivers to provide channel partners with simple integration and management using existing SAS infrastructure. It features the LSISAS2008 6Gb/s SAS I/O controller and is based on the enterprise-proven LSI Fusion-MPT™ architecture. The WarpDrive card is bootable, has no external power requirement and installs as a single drive with no user configuration required. The WarpDrive card helps to ensure high reliability with a management infrastructure offering extensive monitoring, including health, error rate and drive failure.

The WarpDrive card builds upon LSI enterprise-level experience in the design, manufacture and support of advanced server and storage solutions. The WarpDrive card is designed to provide system integrators and system builders with a robust and stable solution with assured interoperability and a low-risk path to market. The WarpDrive card also helps to minimize hardware requirements, reducing initial investment costs and eliminating points of failure for greater overall system reliability.

It didn’t take us long to find, download, and install the official Google Voice for iPhone application. We were happy to find out that the application runs natively on the iPhone, which is a big plus in our book. As you can imagine, there’s a few intricacies to the software that you’re either going to love, or hate. For example, like a few different iOS-based applications feature now, you’re able to just drag down the list of messages in your Inbox, and the application will immediately refresh, bringing any new messages you have waiting for you front and center.

The messages between you and your contacts are threaded, just like they are in the full Web-based version of Google Voice. Threaded messaging makes it a lot simpler to keep up with the conversation, just as we’ve seen in plenty of other messaging formats over the years, so it’s good to see that the official application has this feature, too. If you want to get in touch with someone other than text message, clicking on your contact’s name will bring up a full list of other options, like calling them, or even removing them from your Quick Dial list, if that’s something you’d like to do.

You have access to your main screen, which will show you a quick run down of new things happening, such as your Inbox and voicemails. You can also access starred messages, which are just messages that you’ve starred, so you can save for later. You can also read your history, so you can look back at what someone has said, or what you’ve said to someone else, as well as call information. Accessing your voicemail lets you read the transcription (if Google was able to make one), or listen to it, right form the iPhone.

As for the dialer, it’s obviously present. You can make calls from the iPhone, using your Google Voice number (which will show up on the person your calling’s Caller ID as your Google Voice number, remember), as well as receive calls. You have a Settings menu as well, which will let you change some settings right there on the device, for the iPhone you’re using Google Voice on.

Adding someone to your Quick Dial list is simple, just as everyone would imagine it would be. Just head into your contact list, find the contact you want to add, click on their name, and then select the right option after you select the phone number you want to add. As soon as they are added, they will appear in your Quick Dial list. Deleting someone from the list is just as easy, as you can simply hit Edit at the top-left, and the red delete marks will appear next to the contact’s name. Hit that, followed by Delete, and you’re good to go.

The fact that the official application for Google Voice works so well, and natively, with the iPhone is a big plus. Things like making calls, or getting background notifications for incoming alerts, all work so well, that it’s a wonder why it has taken this long for the application to show up in the App Store (or not). However, we did find a bit of redundancy, in that the background notifications will show you the same notifications that you’ll get from a text at the same time. If you have it set up so you get text notifications, which many Google Voice users do, then the background notifications from Google Voice aren’t needed. Depending on how you want it set up, based on your personal preferences, you can either choose to skip text notifications, or as we did, turn off the background notifications. Especially considering you can still reply to Google Voice text messages right from within the native messaging application, we just didn’t find a need for it.

In the end, the set up process is way too simple. If you’ve been using Google Voice already, then getting the official application set up on your device is as easy as any other phone. Just set up your phone number, which should be your iPhone’s number, and you’ll be good to go. Of course, you will need that Google Voice account, or you won’t be able to use the service at all. Google has come out with the official application, and yes, it was worth the wait. If you’ve been waiting for a free, official application, then here’s your chance to jump on it.

Check out the full video below, to see the application in action. As well as the gallery, with plenty of pictures.

NETGEAR took some time out of their busy Friday mid-morning, and announced quite a few things. The first of which is the brand new NETGEAR ReadyNAS Replicate application software, which is designed specifically to help those in business and enterprise situations. As more and more data is transmitted every day, NETGEAR knew that there had to be a better solution for protecting it, backing it up, and having a way to recover important information when its needed. That’s where the ReadyNAS Replicate comes in.

The ReadyNAS Replicate software application is designed to simplify multi-site backup, restore and disaster recovery in businesses and enterprise branch offices. The ReadyNAS Replicate provides a single, simple interface that allows customers to enable multi-site backup jobs, which allows for the restoration of files across locations. In turn, NETGEAR believes this will slash management time, as well as improving the overall investment return.

For IT Managers, if they can find a way to simplify the managing of backup and recovery plans for the entire system, it’s a dream come true. The good news is that the NETGEAR ReadyNAS Replicate is available right now. For the ReadyNAS 2-, 4- and 6-bay Pro and Ultra families, it will cost you an MSRP of $199. For current rack-mount ReadyNAS products, you’ll have to shell out a high $399.

Press Release

NETGEAR Simplifies Multi-Site Data Protection for Businesses

Powerful New Application Reduces the Complexity of Traditional Multi-Site Backup Solutions

SAN JOSE, Calif. – November 5, 2010 – NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and Internet service providers, today announced ReadyNAS® Replicate™, a software application that simplifies multi-site backup, restore and disaster recovery in businesses and enterprise branch offices. ReadyNAS Replicate provides a single interface that enables customers to schedule multi-site backup jobs and to restore files across locations, slashing management time and improving investment return.

Smart IT departments searching for reliable data management methods among multiple sites may use ReadyNAS Replicate to reduce operational costs and standardize disaster recovery. Users can eliminate the complex scripting and hours of effort required by homemade solutions. Automatic best practices, such as integrated snapshot management and embedded VPN connections, improve reliability over typical do-it-yourself arrangements. A single management console simplifies backup and restore between company headquarters and even the smallest remote office. Resellers may use ReadyNAS Replicate to deliver managed backup and recovery services to individual end user locations.

In a Market Insight report from October 2010, Gartner analyst Jim Browning states, “One of the primary actions planned through the first half of 2011 by a number of midsize businesses is to implement new or expanded geographically dispersed backup sites for disaster recovery purposes.”

“This is just what we’ve been looking for, a way to simplify managing the backup and disaster recovery plan for our systems and sites,” says IT manager Dave Bott of the St. Catharine’s Public Library system. “Replicate gives me a single management console and saves me time configuring jobs, scripts, snapshots, firewall connections and reporting functions at each of my branch locations.”

Drew Meyer, director of storage marketing for NETGEAR, says “NETGEAR continues to address the backup needs of smart IT groups in small businesses or large firms with multiple branch offices. The combination of affordable desktop storage platforms with a reliable and simple data management application simply gives VARs and end users a smarter solution.”

Pricing and Availability
ReadyNAS Replicate is available immediately from any NETGEAR PowerShift™ Partner and requires a standalone transferable license per desktop or rack-mount system. For the desktop ReadyNAS 2-, 4- and 6-bay Pro and Ultra families, the MSRP is $199. For current rack-mount ReadyNAS products the MSRP is $399.

For more information, please visit: www.netgear.com/replicate

About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and Internet service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of Big IT. The company also supplies all of the top Internet service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in over 28,000 retail locations around the globe, and through more than 37,000 value-added resellers. The company’s headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner. More information is available at http://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR.

They’re also announcing, happily we imagine, that the Kindle App will be “the first major eBook application available for Windows Phone 7.” It’s not ready for prime time quite yet, as Amazon says the application will be launched later this year. And, while customers will be able to find plenty of the same features as other Kindle appilcations, like Whispersync technology, Windows Phone 7 users will be able to find personalized book recommendations on the Kindle app, as well as be able to send book suggestions to friends right from the application.

And, with that aforementioned Whispersync technology, you’ll be able to buy a book once, and then read it on any one of the Kindle-equipped devices out there, which include the Kindle lineage of eReaders, as well as the applications you can find on Apple’s iDevices, and even Android-based devices. You’ll have access to over 725,000 books in the US Kindle Store, as well as have an integrated shopping experience. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Press Release

Amazon to Launch Kindle App for Windows Phone 7

Free Kindle application extends Amazon’s Buy Once, Read Everywhere approach, bringing over 725,000 Kindle Books to Windows Phone 7

SEATTLE – Oct. 28, 2010 – Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will be the first major eBook application available for Windows Phone 7. Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will be released later this year, and includes the features customers love about all of the Kindle apps, plus new features built into a Kindle app for the first time, such as personalized book recommendations on your Kindle app home screen and the ability to send a book suggestion to a friend from any book in your library without leaving the app. Like all Kindle apps, Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will let customers Buy Once, Read Everywhere–on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Android-based devices and in the coming months, on Windows Phone 7-based devices. Customers can sign up to be notified when the Kindle for Windows Phone 7 is available later this year at www.amazon.com/kindleforwindowsphone.

“When you buy a Kindle book, we make it easy for you to get your books on all of the devices you want to read on – your iPhone, iPad, Android-based device, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and of course your Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “Kindle for Windows Phone 7 extends our vision of ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere.’ The app is optimized for the unique user interface of Windows Phone 7, and will include our Whispersync technology, so you always have your library with you and never lose your place in a book as you switch between devices.”

With Kindle for Windows Phone 7, readers will take advantage of the following features:
- Access to over 725,000 books in the U.S. Kindle Store – the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read – including New Releases and 108 of this week’s 111 New York Times Bestsellers.

- With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books purchased from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in a customer’s Kindle library on Amazon, where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

- Buy Once, Read Everywhere with the Kindle apps and devices. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off.

- Integrated shopping experience that allows customers to shop without leaving the app.

- The opportunity to send an email to a friend with a link to the book you’re reading or to any book in your library without leaving the app.

- Customized reading, choosing from five different font sizes and three background colors.

- The ability to read in portrait or landscape mode, and to turn pages by tapping on either side of the screen or flicking.

- The option to try the beginning of a book for free before buying and to receive personalized recommendations on the home screen of your app.

Microsoft demonstrated Kindle for Windows Phone 7 for the first time today, live from its Bellevue campus, during the annual Microsoft Professional Developers Conference. “We are pleased to be working with Amazon to launch Kindle for Windows Phone 7,” said Achim Berg, Corporate Vice President of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. “We designed Windows Phone 7 to bring together a host of services and content — from Microsoft and third parties — in a way that seamlessly integrates the things you care about most, from movies to shopping and reading, and Amazon is key to delivering that experience to customers.” To view today’s demo of Kindle for Windows Phone 7, visit Microsoft News Center.

The update adds support for video out. But, as we mentioned above, it’s not meant for the full range of iPhones or iPod Touches available in the market. The application only supports that of the iPhone 4, or the fourth generation iPod Touch. Of course, the iPad is still supported, as the Netflix application was updated for Apple’s tablet a couple of months ago to support the feature. The update to the application is free.

[via AppAdvice]

The user can mark voicemails as read or unread and is able to forward voicemails via email. The app also allows the user to add new contacts to their smartphones address book from the voicemails. The app is offered to U-verse Voice customers are no additional charge.

The app will work with the iPhone, Blackberry, iGoogle, and Windows Vista Sidebar. The service will also let the user combine voicemail boxes for the home and mobile phones into one box. The app is available to download for the mobile devices supported right now.

EA Sports FIFA Soccer 11 now features 500 licensed teams, over 30 offiicially licensed leagues, more than 15,000 players, and 35 authentic stadiums for you to play in. The new title now includes a new dual-control option, which lets players control the ball with a level of sophistication, and simplicity, never before seen. The company is priding themselves on the fluid animations you’ll see in the title. Players will get to choose between two modes: picking your favorite team and combating against the entire league, or heading into a tournament knockout.

You can pick up EA Sports FIFA Soccer 11 right now in the iTunes App Store. It’s compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and the iPod Touch line-up. You can buy it for $4.99. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Press Release

GOAL! EA MOBILE SCORES WITH FIFA SOCCER 11
FOR IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH

EA’s FIFA Soccer 11 Now Live in the App Store

Redwood City, Calif. – September 30, 2010 – EA Mobile™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and the world’s leading mobile games publisher, announced the availability of EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 11 in the App Store™. The popular soccer franchise features over 30 officially licensed leagues, 35 authentic stadiums, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players from around the world for thunderous matches on the iPhone and iPod touch.

“With FIFA Soccer 11 for iPod touch and iPhone, we have tapped into what makes this game so universally loved delivering an engaging and genuine soccer experience for fans and casual players alike,” said Travis Boatman, Vice President of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. “With the latest release of FIFA, we’ve unlocked the horsepower of these new devices, stepped forward the expectation of what can be achieved and delivered the best footy experience out there.”

FIFA Soccer 11 features new dual control options providing gameplay sophistication for veterans and simplicity for casual players. The game features unprecedented ball-control and fluid animations with 360° player movement while gesture-driven skill moves dazzle the opposing team with defense-splitting passes, rifling shots, penalty kicks and pro-style tricks.

Players can also pick between two modes, either electing to play as their favorite team and battle the entire league or trying their luck in a tournament knockout. FIFA Soccer 11 features officially licensed teams and the world’s best players enabling gamers to play with their favorite superstars including Real Madrid’s Kaká and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

FIFA Soccer 11 is available today from the App Store for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch at www.itunes.com/appstore/ . Assets and additional press information can be found at http://info.ea.com .

EA Mobile has a solid reputation for its pioneering and market leadership in mobile gaming, and has been a definitive player with the rise of Apple devices as gaming platforms. Popular games include SCRABBLE, Tetris, MONOPOLY and BATTLESHIP, which have consistently ranked among top sellers and, in 2009, The Sims® 3 was the #1 best-selling game on the App Store. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.EAMobile.com , join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EAMobile or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EAMobile .

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

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About EA Mobile

EA Mobile™ is the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need For Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s partnership with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer and NASCAR®. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone®, iPad™ and iPod®. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com

Amazon announced today that they are planning on releasing the ridiculously popular Kindle application for the BlackBerry PlayBook. They point out in the press release (which you can read below), that current BlackBerry owners can already download and read eBooks from the Kindle application they can already download. They go on to point out all of the standard, yet necessary features of the application, which will be available in 2011.

You’ll be able to utilize Amazon’s WhisperSync technology, which means you’ll be able to read your books from the plethora of other devices that the Kindle is supported on (like the iPad, iPhone, Kindle itself, and Android devices), and keep your place along the way. You’ll also be able to download books while on the go, without having to buy them from your PC first. And as usual, while the majority of books available to download will cost you, the application itself will be free.

Press Release

Amazon to Launch Kindle App for New BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Computer

Amazon adds to its growing list of Buy Once, Read Everywhere Kindle apps that let readers choose from over 700,000 Kindle books and read them across a wide range of devices

SEATTLE – Sept. 27, 2010 – Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it will launch a Kindle app for the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer. Customers can already enjoy the free Kindle app on their BlackBerry today. Like all Kindle apps, the Kindle app for the new BlackBerry PlayBook will let customers Buy Once, Read Everywhere—on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, and in the coming months, the new BlackBerry PlayBook. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. For more information about the free Kindle apps, go to www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

“When you buy a Kindle book, you can already read it on iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and of course on your Kindle, Kindle 3G, and Kindle DX,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “We’re very excited to add the new BlackBerry PlayBook to that list. As with our other Kindle apps, the BlackBerry PlayBook app will be free and will incorporate our WhisperSync technology so you can seamlessly switch between devices. Our vision is ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere.’”

With Kindle devices and Kindle apps, customers can choose from over 700,000 books in the U.S. Kindle Store – the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read—including New Releases and 108 of 111 New York Times Bestsellers. Over 575,000 of the books in the Kindle Store are $9.99 or less, including 80 New York Times Bestsellers. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

Customers can learn more about the free Kindle apps at www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

But, if you were expecting to play some online multiplayer with your other Kindle owners, courtesy of that 3G or WiFi connectivity, unfortunately the game doesn’t support it. It does support on-device multiplayer, though. While other applications have popped up for the Kindles since Amazon released the app platform, the majority of them have been free, and first-party applications. Some of them have even been built into the firmware.

Unfortunately for the Kindle, it’s next to impossible to make any fast-paced actions games for the platform, thanks to the e-paper display and its slower refresh rates, as well as the processor under the hood. But, if Scrabble is something you’ve been waiting for, then you can get your hands on it right now for $5.

[via iReader Review]

According to Paul Brown, Spotify’s Senior Vice President, the company is currently in talks with several United States-based partners in preparation to bring the subscription service to the local shores by the third quarter of 2010. Brown says the company is busy buying up server space in random parts of the States. And while all that is going on, there is talks occurring to cover the licensing deals that need to go in place long before anything can get launched. Spotify is already in long-term partnerships with the major labels and publishers out there, so it would seem the hard part has already been accomplished.

The Spotify service is tiered, so while it may have 7 million subscribers, those 7 million all take advantage of the music streaming application in different ways. As we mentioned ,325,000 currently pay for their uninterrupted service. And that seems to be the main focus of many people who would like to say that paying for “commercial free” music is pointless. But there are others who would say paying a minimal amount of money per year to get a wide variety, plus the ability to skip, save favorite bands, as well as ban artists is very worth the cost. Where are you on this? If Spotify shows up stateside, are you going to be one of the first to download it?

[via Boy Genius Report]