The Daily Slash: May 12th 2010
Is it already Wednesday? Apparently that old saying about time flying is true, after all. Glad we could independently confirm that for you. In any event, welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Daily Slash. Tonight, in the Best of R3, we've got another mysterious Motorola handset, Apple shows off a new ad, and Microsoft Mobile Office slips out of Beta. And then in the Dredge 'Net, one man believes Africa (all of it) should have WiFi, Comcast has a new iPad app, and Netflix has finally given PCs and Macs something to live for.The Best of R3 MediaMeet the Motorola A955: We've got no idea what it is. It's either the Motorola Shadow, the Nexus Two, or the Droid 2. All of which haven't officially been announced, or even spied on camera (completely), but we know that at least one of those handsets exist. And, sure enough, the Motorola A955 fits right in with the Droid 2 mythos, as it follows the first version of the Droid's model number (A855) quite nicely. So, that's our bet. But, then again, it could be something completely different, too. [via Android Community]Apple Asks "What's the iPad?": Good enough question for some, we imagine. While the iPad has been basically a smash hit here in the States, there's still no telling how well it will do around the world once the tablet starts showing up in people's hands. So, Apple wanted to make sure that you get the point of the iPad, or at least something close to that. That's why they made a nice little video for you. Hopefully it answers your questions. [via Everything iPad]Microsoft Mobile Office Available Now: For Windows Mobile 6.5, no less. Considering that Windows Phone 7 is getting its own, pretty spectacular version of Windows Mobile, there's no doubt that this version won't be making it to the next iteration of the mobile platform. But, it's good to see Microsoft giving Windows Mobile some love, even in the shadow of what's coming. Features include mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Excel. It's available for download right now, so get crackin' and let us know what you think. [via SlashPhone]The Dredge NetOne Man Wants to Give All of Africa WiFi: Yes. All of it. Not just the large metropolitan areas, or even some villages. But all of the villages out there, and everything else in between. Paul English is the co-founder of the travel search engine Kayak (which is also available in an application format on some smartphones) has an idea to use satellites, along with terrestrial infrastructure, to give the entire continent access to free, high-speed WiFi. It would basically be like the "closed" Internet that you get at a local, public library: access to Skype, Gmail, and Google, but "non-essential" things like pornography, or high-bandwidth intensive videos wouldn't be allowed, either. A lofty goal, yes, and it probably won't be done for a decade, but at least he's trying. And using his own money, no less. [via DVICE]Comcast Makes an iPad App: Yes, two pieces of iPad information tonight. We couldn't really help ourselves. As soon as we saw this app, we had to share it here. It's a pretty simple, relatively, channel guide, which shows you all the available channels for your account with Comcast. The User Interface (UI) is great, and it looks really, really easy to navigate through. One of the most simple features, like having the TV station's logos visible, is also one of the coolest. Definitely worth a look if you've got an iPad and are using Comcast, that's for sure. [via CrunchGear]Netflix Begins Streaming HD to PCs and Macs: This one's quick, because we know as soon as you read that title, you closed this window and went right on over to Netflix. We don't blame you. The video streaming and disc-sending company is now starting to stream HD videos to PCs and Macs, which should make pretty much everyone happy. Why are you still here? [via Netflix]