When Google Navigation hit the scene, it sounded the death knell for paid GPS on Android, so you can imagine the doom and gloom at Vlingo HQ last week when Google released the similar Voice Actions for free. As it turns out, however, Vlingo's not going to give up that easily; Vlingo for Android, once a $10 download, is now free as well. In a surprisingly gracious blog post that genuinely congratulates Google on the accomplishment, CEO Dave Grannan explains that he wants Android users to be ……

…read more

For $40 (plus $20 per year), MagicJack's USB VoIP dongle will let you make free unlimited telephone-to-telephone calls, but this week the company's announced MagicTalk, a piece of software for internet-connected phones and computers that will waive even those upfront costs. The Associated Press tracked down one of our favorite ruthless salesmen, MagicJack CEO Dan Borislow, who described a service much like Google Voice and Skype, number portability and all — except it adds the whole al……

…read more

Though it's really quite a capable handset, Dell's Streak brought several disappointments to its belated US launch; namely, a pastry-based OS without any creme filling, and a $549 version that's still SIM-locked. While we doubt AT&T's iron grip will release the Streak from the latter servitude, Dell's Lionel Menchaca suggests that the former problem may get solved all at once, because the company is considering skipping Android 2.1 altogether for stateside Streaks and up……

…read more

While WiMAX isn't exactly streaming through the air everywhere at this point, domestically it has a solid head-start on LTE. Despite that, with many major players (like Verizon and AT&T) already choosing the latter of those two, WiMAX has a tough fight ahead of it for 4G supremacy. Maybe its successor will charm the competition, WiMAX 2 — the artist formerly known as 802.16m. That standard will boast theoretical speeds of 1Gbps for downloads, though users are rather more likely to see s……

…read more

Sony's website is slowly ticking down the hours, minutes and seconds until the company's latest product launch, but like all other Sony teasers in recent memory, there's little real doubt. If references to “X10″ peppered through the site's source code left any doubt, this picture should clear it up — mark our words, that's an Xperia X10 underneath the clock. Apparently the four-inch Android smartphone is finally ready for its US debut, though whether it's “smarter” or n……

…read more

The floodgates are open, and another country has washed in — though unlike Saudi Arabia, India and the UAE, this one's not threatening a BlackBerry messaging ban… yet. Kuwait has publicly announced that it has requested RIM to deal with “moral and security concerns” — namely, blocking pornographic websites — and that RIM has requested four months to comply. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's deadline-driven local server tests are reportedly continuing apace; three servers, one for each nati……

…read more

It's rather astounding to believe we've come this far without Verizon or Motorola so much as recognizing the Droid 2's existence, but with leaks like this on a weekly basis who needs traditional marketing? Astute reader Greg from North Carolina tells us his local Best Buy has those leaked dummy units out on shelves, and lo and behold, there's a set of price tags right next to them. As originally rumored, the phone will launch at $199 with carrier subsidy and $599 should you choo……

…read more

Cydia is a great place to hang out, and we're sure unlocking is pretty swell, but it's quite possible you and your freshly-rooted iPhone 4 have already run out of fun things to do. In that case, might we suggest giving Frash a try? That's right, Comex's Strong Bad-inspired port of Adobe Flash 10.1 has been compiled once again, and though it's still an alpha build there's nothing keeping you from experiencing the joys of animated advertising on your iOS 4 device. Instructi……

…read more

The Library of Congress made it legal, MuscleNerd showed us it was a go, and now Comex and company have delivered the long-awaited jailbreak to the fourth rendition of iPhone. According to their new page JailbreakMe, the hack works right on the iPhone 4 (or 3GS, or 3G, or iPad, or…) itself, using via the handset's Safari browser to reportedly break into most any iOS device. The servers are getting slammed pretty badly, and only a few Engadget editors have so much as seen the page pictured……

…read more

Looks like those regulators over in the Middle East don't mess about. Following this week's revelation that the United Arab Emirates' telco overseers weren't happy with being unable to monitor how people were using their BlackBerrys, today we're hearing what their solution to the problem will be: an outright ban. Internet access, email and instant messaging on RIM devices will be blocked in the UAE starting this October — provided, of course, that the Canadian phone maker d……

…read more