If you have an Iphone or Ipod touch beware, your device checks in with Apple servers without you knowing and checks if Apple is OK with your app usage. See Engadget for more info.

According to a recent engadget post you should be able to buy a unlocked phone from ATT. At least according to the ATT wireless CEO…

“People for example today don’t know that if you want to go out and buy a unlocked phone you can. I just don’t give you a subsidy against that phone… I try to sell you that phone at a higher price.

I’ve actually tried to buy unlocked phones through AT&T before and they refused to sell them to me.

No, they–

Both over the phone and in the store. I’ve done this multiple times and they always refuse to sell them to me.

Just tell them that you want a “no-commitment price” and that phone can be sold.”

So there you have it, from the mouth of the CEO. Just ask for a “no-commitment price”.

I think that I’ll try calling them tomorrow and asking for it. Expect to see the result here.

(image from http://www.lincolnsblog.com/Articles/National/ATT/ATTWireless.htm)

Set to be released on November 13, the new 2nd generation Zunes (Zune 2) will have many new features. They are going to have remote live TV recording, podcasts, a new GUI(graphical user interface), wireless syncing, and a lot more.

Well normal one would expect Microsoft to not care about their old devices since they now have this new one, and they all ready have the old buyers money. You would expect them to do something a lot like apple did with the Iphone and the Ipod touch. “The iPod Touch is running the same OS as the iPhone, but it’s artificially gimped. There’s no email. There’s no weather or stocks. No notes. No adding events to the Calendar. When old hardware can’t support new features, that’s not anyone’s fault. But all this stuff that’s right there in the software and costs nothing for Apple to put in, and they leave it out to artificially differentiate the product line.” However unlike Apple, Microsoft is not only giving “the old 30GB getting the new Wi-Fi syncing, it’s getting the updated sharing features, the new codecs, the podcasts, and the new Windows Media Center TV on the go. It’s essentially the new Zune, except thicker and with less storage space…which makes us ask why Microsoft would be so generous as to kill half the reasons why you’d ever upgrade to a new Zune.”

 [more on gizmodo.com]

 

Aren’t you tired of your mobile communications device (aka. your cell phone) not containing enough Harry Potter? Well if you receive the new harry potter DVD which is set to be released on December 11 then you may be able to put the latest Harry Potter movie on your device.

According to Jim Wuthrich, Warner senior VP of digital distribution, people who get the new DVD will be able to “buy the DVD and have the option of the digital copy”. Apparently the DVD will have two files, one to play like a normal DVD and the other users will be able to copy to their ipods, cell phones, zunes, and other media devices. However “In all likelihood, Warner is using one of the Windows Media formats for the additional content. If that’s the case, the files won’t be playable on computers running Linux or Mac OS X,”. But at least it is a step in the right direction and hopefully the other movie companies will catch on.

[More on arstechnica.com]

A new law signed last Thursday by Gov. Schwarzenegger (R) of California will take effect on July 1, 2008. The law will make it illegal for any one age 15.5-17 to use a cell phone, laptop, pager, ultra mobile PC, or a PDA while driving. 

The fine for a fist offence is $20 and $50 for each additional offence and IMHO that is way to small a penalty for any law to be effective.