Tuesday 13 December 2011

Video: N900 Gamepad Hack    [ 13-12-2011 18:20 ]

Author: Serge Novikov   Source: EmerytHacks     Translation by: Paul Smith     

Whilst it may not have been a commercial success the N900 can't be said to have been anything other than that when it comes to modding and hacking. It's been used for all sorts of purposes in the past with hackers tinkering away and getting more out of the device than belies it's status as a niche product. Case in point is this hack from a polish hacker named Emeryth. He's basically hooked up a bare bones gamepad to aN900. It's not very pretty, but it is functional. The pad is based on the ATmega8A microcontroller and handily plugs right into the N900's USB port. Check it out below.

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Video: Windows Phone Malicious Message Shuts Down Messaging    [ 13-12-2011 17:03 ]

Author: Serge Novikov   Source: WinRumours     Translation by: Paul Smith     

Oh dear, a wee flaw in the Windows Phone messaging system has come to light that can potentially shutdown a user's access to messaging. It's asimple enough flaw too; someone sends a messag to a handset with certain contents and the message causes the handset to reboot automatically and then lock down its messaging facilities. The only way to rectify the problem and regain acces to messaging is to completely reset the handset. Not a very practical solution.

The video below shows how it all works. Microsoft is apparently aware of the issue so hopefully a fix will be forthcoming soon. By the way notice how I have been using the term 'messaging' throughout this post, rather than 'text'or 'SMS'. There's a good reason for that because the problem also arises if the malicious message is received through Facebook Chat or Windows Live Messenger, not just SMS.

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Video: Themes For Windows Phone 7    [ 13-12-2011 16:40 ]

Author: Irina Turina   Source: Windows Phone Hacker     Translation by: Paul Smith     

One of the downfalls of using Windows Phone 7 Mango is the lack of customization options. Well Windows Phone Hacker has come to the rescue with Themes for Windows Phone 7. It's an app that basically allows you to tinker around with the Live tiles and get them looking how you want. The user can use their own images, icons and colours and even transparencies. The app requires an unlocked handset unfortunately so bear that in mind before you download it. For those without an unlocked handset you can check out some the magic in the video below.

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Google & Apple Leave The Competition Trailing    [ 13-12-2011 16:36 ]

Author: Irina Turina   Source: NPD Group     Translation by: Paul Smith     

The latest figures on the state of the U.S. smartphone market confirm what we already knew in that Google and Apple are dominating the scene, but they also underscore just how much work the competition has to do to even make an impact let alone catch up. The figures come from The NPD Group and are good for the year up until October.

The two front runners, Google and Apple, control a whopping 82% of the market between them. Google's Android platform is the leader with over half the market (53%), whilst Apple's iOS platform saw an increase in its share and now stands at 29%. That's great news for those two comanies, but others aren't so fortunate.

RIM, which seems to lurch from one disaster to another these days, now only controls 10% of the market. Just two years ago in 2009 RIM had a 44% market share. Even last year RIM was able to boast that it had 25% of the market under its belt. The phrase 'how the mighty have fallen' would seem very apt in RIM's case. A series of unexciting handsets, technical problems, corporate intransigence and market pessimism have seen RIM dwindle to a shadow of their former glory. At this rate it won't be long before their market share slips into single figures.

It's not just RIM who are facing hard times though, Microsoft too is up against a challenge in the American smartphone market. Windows Phone 7 only has a 2% share and even when combined with WindowsMobile (yes people are still using that) Microsoft barely manages to scrape together 5%. For all their marketing and the positive critical reception Windows Phone received at launch it simply hasn't made much of an impression with consumers. Of course Nokia has weighed into the battle and no doubt Microsoft is hoping that the world's biggest handset manufacturer can make a success of Windows Phone were others have failed.

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