Smartphones

Though we're still waiting to see what comes out of the HP-Palm merger, Palm's still plugging away on WebOS and released some new information about WebOS 2.0 on Tuesday.

The news mostly affects developers, as they can now download a beta version of the WebOS 2.0, but Palm also gave us a glimpse of what's to come and we're pretty excited. The new functions include:

Enhanced multitasking with the ability to stack related cards together for easier access.

Developers can now access the Synergy feature for integrating contacts, calendar, and messages.

A feature called … Read more

It's not too late to enter the JetBlue All You Can Jet Giveaway! You only have until 12 p.m. PDT to tweet out this message:

Follow @the404 and RT this for a chance to win 1 of 2 #AllYouCanJet @JetBlue passes. Rules: http://bit.ly/dodRKs #AYCJ

Don't forget that you have to be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States to enter. We'll tweet a congratulatory message at 3 p.m. EDT today to announce the winners. Good luck!

Apple's yearly iPod and iTunes event goes down tomorrow and we've got plenty of predictions (and dreams) for what Apple will show off. We'll likely see a "Retina display" and a forward-facing camera come to the iPod Touch devices, but Wilson's hoping for a revamped Apple TV that could bring iOS 4, an A4 chip, 1080p playback, 16GB of storage, and a $99 "impulse" price tag.

Check out our Crave poll, submit your own predictions, and don't forget to check back with us tomorrow for official news!

This summer, a hot-springs resort in Atami, Japan, became a vacation destination for men who just can't stand being single. For almost two months, the resort offered players of the dating sim Love Plus Plus a physical location to bring their virtual girlfriends.

Once there, the players visited romantic locations and took pictures next to black-and-white markers on the ground that acted as triggers for the corresponding augmented-reality smartphone app. In real life, it looks like the men posed by themselves, but the app inserted a picture of their virtual girlfriends to simulate companionship. As the only single dude on the show, it's apparently my job to investigate this matter in greater detail, so see you in Japan!

What's with everyone just throwing away animals? First there was the security camera clip of a British woman trashing a cat, and now LiveLinks just posted a video of a young girl chucking puppy after adorable puppy into a river! Luckily, we can rely on the vigilante justice of 4Chan's /b/ thread to come to the rescue in both cases.

The infamous message board is on the hunt to reveal the identity of said puppy-chucker, and they've already narrowed down the location of the river to a city in Croatia; they even found two potential Facebook profiles that match her description, although it could be anyone. She's around 5 feet 7 inches tall, blond, and Caucasian...nevertheless, we're confident that they'll bring the culprit to justice. Just don't hurt us!

Again, there's only one hour left to add us on Twitter (add Jeff, Wilson, and Justin while you're at it) and tweet out the bolded message up there for your chance to win one of two All You Can Jet prizes, courtesy of JetBlue! Good luck to everyone entering. We can't wait to see where you go!

If you've been waiting for the Samsung Epic 4G, it can now be yours, as Sprint's second 4G smartphone hits the streets Tuesday.

The Epic 4G will run you $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. However, you can also pick up the phone at Best Buy and Radio Shack to get an instant $100 savings and avoid the hassle of a mail-in rebate. Even better, Wal-Mart and Amazon are currently offering the phone for $199.99.

Unlike the other Samsung Galaxy S models, the Epic 4G features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a … Read more

Cricket Wireless, the little carrier with big plans to go national, added yet another handset to its lineup Tuesday. The Samsung Messager Touch comes hot on the heels of the Android-powered Sanyo Zio, which had its formal introduction last week.

The Messager Touch isn't a smartphone, but it offers a slider design with a full keyboard, messaging and multimedia features, and decent call quality. We've reviewed the U.S. Cellular Messager Touch only, but Cricket's version of the handset shouldn't differ too sharply. Cricket will sell the phone for $159 for its no-contract service.

Earlier this … Read more

We're down a man this week, as Joey calls in with back problems--but the rest of us are on hand to discuss this week's hot topics. The hottest of which may be Apple's upcoming September 1 press event, and we all weigh in with allegedly thoughtful predictions on what new iPods and other gadgets may show up.

Then it's time for a moment of silence as we mourn the death of the ATI brand, with its corporate parent reportedly planning to tag the company's future graphics cards with the AMD brand name instead.

Among the wackier technology antics we look at this week--a collection of pottery figures inspired by the hit casual game Plants vs. Zombies, and a quick visit to a Chicago coffee shop with a pretty sweet pop culture collectible--a full-size model Delorean car from the "Back to the Future" film series.

… Read more

Germany will soon be able to say hello to the Samsung Wave 723, the newest model of the smartphone built on Samsung's open Bada platform. Samsung will release the Wave 723, also known as GT-S7230E, in Germany in September, and then it will gradually release it to other countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Wave 723's specs include a 3.2-inch WQVGA TFT-LCD screen, a 5.0 megapixel camera, 3G and 802.11 Wi-Fi support, and QVGA video recording and playback that includes support for H.264 HD video.

Of course, the phone … Read more

If you own a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, you're probably not too fond of the fact that it's stuck running Android 1.6. Sony Ericsson's projected Q4 release for an Android 2.1 update doesn't sit well either when other devices are already getting Android 2.2, but there might be some good news on the horizon.

Responding to one of its Twitter followers, Sony Ericsson UK said that the Android 2.1 update is due for release before the end of September, ahead of the original Q4 timeframe. The company didn't provide any further … Read more

Microsoft's Bing for Android may not technically be the first Microsoft-made app for Android phones (that honor belongs to the rather obscure Microsoft Tag Reader,) but the Bing is its highest-profile app.

Released on Monday, Bing for Android closely resembles Bing for iPhone, with an image of the day marking the backdrop, and a pop-up menu to search by images, movies, maps, news, or what's nearby. There's also an option for directions. A search field sits at the top, next to a voice search button. Bing for Android hides your history, settings, and favorites in the phone'… Read more

Honestly, we didn't expect Jeff to show up for work this morning after his weekend excursion to Montreal for his bachelor's party, but he's back and divulging zero details about what happened abroad, because that conversation is better suited to giggling whispers in private cubicles.

For now, let's just assume that Jeff had a delightful time skipping across the city and supporting local hole-in-the-wall establishments with a handful of his closest friends.

Without our listeners (yes, you!), The 404 would be nothing but three semi-educated post-adolescents shouting into a box, so to show our appreciation we're throwing a contest with JetBlue Airlines to fly you anywhere in the U.S. and Caribbean for a week! Yep, the grand prize is a seven-day unlimited All You Can Jet pass to feed your wanderlust anywhere on JetBlue's map, and another lucky winner will receive a complimentary five-day pass for the same deal!

Two winners will be chosen at random and here's how to enter: simply  follow The 404 Podcast on Twitter, retweet the phrase "Follow @the404 and RT this for a chance to win 1 of 2 #AllYouCanJet @JetBlue passes. Rules: http://bit.ly/dodRKs #AYCJ" and you're done!

The contest is over on Tuesday, August 31, at 3 p.m. ET and winners will be announced by 5 p.m. ET, so hurry for your chance to win one of these two amazing prices, courtesy of our friends at JetBlue!

After some serious contest pimping, we're dropping two big announcements about our favorite movie "Back To the Future." As if the idea of a modern remake of the film wasn't bad enough, it turns out that no one's favorite tween pop star Justin Bieber is rumored to play Marty Mcfly. *Pause for "Noooooos"* The child star has yet to comment on the horrific gossip, so keep your fingers crossed.

Now for some good news: the wait is finally over, and BTTF fans might finally get the chance to don Marty's famous Nike "powerlaces" sneakers, thanks to a patent from Tinker Hatfield and the dudes at the Nike Innovative Kitchen.

The initial blueprint of the shoes look nearly identical to the '80s-style super high-top in the film, replete with the parallel lacing and a separate charging system below. While you're there, be sure to check out NiceKicks' brief history of Nike's BTTF-inspired shoes!

Good luck to everyone entering the Jet Blue All You Can Jet Giveaway!