Nokia N900 gets an early build of Ice-Cream Sandwich OS

Nokia may be reluctant to start bedding with Google for its OS needs, but efforts are being made to get their yesteryear flagship dev phone, the N900, to at least have a one-night stand with Google’s latest issue, Ice-Cream Sandwich.  A developer going by the name of Drunkdebugger seems to be making some headway in this regard, with an early version of the build now up and running on the Nokia N900.As you can see from the video, the build is really young and is not ready for use as your primary OS, but this should offer hope to many Nokia fanboys out there who want something more than Meego or Windows Phone 7 on their de...

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HTC Zeta Leak, Sports An Interesting Humpback Design and 2.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor

Simply known internally as the ‘Zeta’, HTC’s future smartphone seems finally ready to show its face out in the wild. The folks over at Engadget were able to snag a clear press shot of the handset in all its humpback glory. Reportedly, the Zeta is expected to rock a 2.5 GHz quad-core processor,1GB of RAM, 4.5″ 720p HD display, 32GB of internal storage, 1830mAh battery, Beats Audio, Bluetooth 4.0, 8MP rear camera, and a 1.3MP...

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Apple Granted New "Slide To Unlock" Patent, Expect Lawsuits To Start Flying Soon

As if Apple’s ridiculous tablet design patent didn’t hold enough ominous tidings for the mobile tech industry, the US Patent and Trademark Office just awarded the company another ludicrous claim: that's right, “slide to unlock” is officially an Apple patent. That means all the non-Apple phones and tablets that use the omnipresent unlocking maneuver are possibly infringing on Apple’s intellectual property – which could lead to complex legal battles that tie up competitors’ products, as Apple has done with the Samsung Galaxy Tab in Australia.Even 9to5Mac, which broke the news, admits that’s it ridiculous – but it’s legal until a court...

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Google Gets Pattern Unlock Patent

Apple has the patent on “slide to unlock”, but Google isn’t sitting on the sidelines when it comes to seemingly inconsequential user interface tricks. The Android OS maker has been granted a patent on its pattern unlock feature, or as the patent calls it, “Touch Gesture Actions From A Device’s Lock Screen.” This has been a staple of Android phones since the beginning, and now it’s locked down, more or less.Pattern locking is a way for users to protect their phones with a custom pattern of dots that must be drawn on the lock screen. It has been shown in the past that the system is far from perfect, with finger smudges occasionally giving...

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Mark Zuckerberg Nearly Starts Panic Talking About Facebook IPO

According to sources inside the company, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg nearly set kicked off full-scale pandemonium at the Facebook offices when he recently told employees the long-awaited IPO was coming soon. Facebook has been teasing the market for the better part of a year with speculation that it would file its S-1 papers and sell stock publicly. For employees, that would mean a chance to finally cash in on all that stock.The S-1 could go through in less than a month, sources say. There are a few reasons that Facebook is eyeing a short time line for filing. The markets have settled down after turmoil earlier in the year, for one. Facebook...

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How To Tether Your Android Phone without Needing the Market or Root

Apparently, Verizon and AT&T users can no longer find tethering apps in the Android Market (thanks to Google hiding them from those devices after being bugged by the carriers to remove them). So for those users, here’s how to still be able to tether without needing the Android Market.1. Download the PDANet apk file and save it somewhere on your computer.PDANet2. Transfer the .apk file to your device’s SD card or internal storage.3. Download a file manager from the Market if you don’t already have on (Astro File Manager is a good, free option).4. Install the apk by clicking on it in the file manager app.5. Open the app...

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How To Use Google+ Sparks

One other thing you may have noticed about Google+ that you don’t see on Facebook is Sparks. You may be wondering then, what these “sparks” are for and when you would use them. Let’s shed some light on them.I. Setup Some Spark Topics1. From the Google+ home page, click on Sparks at the left under your Circles in your Stream.2. You can then choose from the categories that Google has already setup, or you can type any keyword into the search box at the top and then hit enter.3. It will present you with a list of stories that that keyword brings up. If you like the kinds of stories that are coming up, then click the Add Interest button underneath...

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How To Install Windows 8 on a Mac

Want to try out the new Windows 8 Developer preview but you happen to have a Mac (being a Mac owner and even thinking such thing puts you in danger of self combusting, I’m pretty sure)? Well, if you’re willing to risk setting fire to your couch, here’s CultofMac‘s very informative video on how to do just that. If you like the video, please feel free to head to CultofMac’s site and let them know!UPDATE: We’ve added a few sections to help with installing the bootcamp software once in Windows 8 so things like the Wifi, and trackpad work.I. Install Windows 8 on a Mac1. Download the software from Microsoft.Windows 8 Developer Preview2....

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How To Message People on Google+

So you may have realized by now that there is no way to “write on someone’s wall” in Google+. They have to post something and then you can comment on it only. So what if you want to send a quick message to one of your friends? Here’s how.I. Send a Private Message1. Head to your Google+ homepage.2. Type whatever you want to say in to the person in the stream update text box (as if you were posting a “status update”).3. Instead of just hitting Share though, delete the Public icon underneath the text box (if it’s there), then click Add circles or people to share with and start typing in their name. Once they pop up select them.4. Now hit share....

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How To Use Google+ Circles

Trying to figure out what’s so different about Google+ over Facebook? Well, one of the big features are called Circles and they are pretty cool. Problem is, most people, aren’t quite sure how to use them. Let’s see if we can show you how these groups can be used to your advantage. Highlights Circles can be used to avoid sending messages to everyone when you may only want specific people to see them (talking about a drunken night to friends, might not want to be shared with coworkers or family members etc.) You can also use them to stop people from being annoyed with your posts by creating some for topics and then sending posts to those...

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How To Invite Others to Google+

Excited about Google+? Want to force your friends to join so you aren't talking to no one with your posts? No problem. Here’s how to invite them. I. Before You Invite Them 1. Keep in mind that they MUST have a Gmail account (Google Apps accounts don’t work either, must be @gmail.com) in order to be invited. 2. If they don’t have one, tell them to go to mail.google.com and create an account. II. Invite Them 1. Head to your Google+ home page (you can get there by going to Google.com, logging in at the top right if you aren’t already logged in, and then clicking on your name on the far left side at the top). 2. Scroll...

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How To Transfer Pictures from Facebook to Google+

Wish you could get all of your Facebook pictures over to Google+ easily? Fortunately, there is an easy way to do just that using a simple Faceook app. Here’s how. I. Setup FotoLink 1. Click and install the Facebook App called FotoLink and Allow it access to your Facebook acount. FotoLink 2. Once you have granted it access, click on the app to see all of your albums on Facebook. 3. Click on Photo Accounts at the top right of the app and click on Picasa. 4. Login with your Google+ email and password (the name section at the top of the form, you can just call Google or whatever you want) II. Create the Albums...

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Android App of the Week: Opera Mobile

There are few topics as hotly contested among PC lovers as to which web browser is best. Internet Explorer had a leg up for many years due to its integration into the Windows OS, but Firefox has become a challenger, and Chrome is also putting up quite a fight. Opera has been in the browser game for years and commands a loyal, if somewhat small, following. The last several years have seen Opera gain success on mobile devices, offering an alternative...

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