IBM not only cares about our environment, but they have a spot in their heart for the elderly as well.  IBM announced with the National Institute of Design of India (NID) and Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo (RCAST) today that collectively they will research an initiative to develop an open, common user interface platform for mobile devices that will allow disadvantaged populations (such as illiterate, blind, deaf, or elderly) to more easily use the devices.  The project is yet another extension of IBM’s Open Collaborative Research program, which the company hopes will lead to great innovations through university-company collaborations.  

We've been discussing today technology blog Gizmodo's leaked information regarding Microsoft's Project Pink, a plan by Microsoft to develop its own line of phones.  It's already been leaked that the phones do exist, there have been initial trials, and that Verizon might be the exclusive carrier.  Now Gizmodo even has leaks of Project Pink's firmware.From the leaked firmware, Gizmodo reports that the carrier is definitely Verizon, but there are also references to AT&T and T-Mobile. The Turtle's screen is 320x240, and the Pure has the same size screen as the exist, there have been initial trials, and that Verizon might be the exclusive carrier.  Now Gizmodo even has leaks of Project Pink's firmware.

As we mentioned earlier, technology blog site Gizmodo received leaked information confirming that Microsoft will, indeed, be releasing their own line of phones, service, and operating systems.  This leaked information and the first looks at the phones came hours after a marketing campaign was leaked to Gizmodo, showing the new Microsoft phone, Turtle, as being a real product which will be offered under Verizon as the carrier. 

One of our favorite technology blogs, Gizmodo, has been speculating about Microsoft's "Project Pink" phones, saying that the company has been working on self-branded phones with services and operating systems.  Well, it has been confirmed to Gizmodo by a "tipster" and the site has gotten a hold of some first shots of the series of Project Pink Turtle and Pure phones.  The photos came shortly after an advertising campaign leaked that pointed to Verizon as the carrier for the new Turtle phone. 

Adobe Systems, Inc announced on Friday that they are making Photoshop.com Mobile for Android 1.1 editor available to third-party application developers.  In addition, users of Google Mobile will  have the capabilities of quick and easy photo-editing and sharing.  The editor can be used for new editing effects on your camera phone. 

As we all know Google has been quite good at fighting and sabotaging Apple in their smartphone war. From hacking their way around app bans, to interceding on court cases that have nothing to do with them. Unfortunately, while they are remembering the first rule of competition, they seem to be forgetting another "first rule": don't forget about your own product, while you're trashing your opponent's. As some analysts are pointing out, the fragmentation effect to open source and free software is already taking hold. With just months between their releases, Android 2.0 and 2.1 are different enough that compatibility issues are becoming a major problem. We're not completely ready to give up hope for the Android platform. If it wants to be a real OS, Android needs SOME stability.

It might be tough to get to Geneva in time to attend the 80th International Motor Show this year, but rather than waiting for it to be over to find out about all of the press releases, cool auto introductions, and pictures, why not view it all real-time on your phone?  The green geared show is offering a mobile and iPhone app that allows you to see up to the minute news, photos, videos, and product premieres. 

Google continues to get deeper and deeper into the app game. Just last week Google announced Google Earth Mobile for the Android Operating System. As if it wasn’t enough to be able to search via voice or typed search, the most recent addition to the Google App entourage is Gesture Search. Gesture Search allows users to search their phone’s contents with a few finger movements.

What sort of precedent would an Apple victory set for the world of smartphone technology? Given the fact that Apple apparently is now revealing that they have patents to technology used by every smartphone on the market, things could be looking bleak for everyone who isn’t them. Heck, if you want to use a proper touch screen or even icons, you technically have to ask Apple’s permission. If they are successful in this lawsuit, the precedent will be set that every remotely user friendly smartphone on earth would be made illegal to produce or sell, except by Apple of course. Even the pundits in the video below agree.

It’s official, smartphones are to 2010 what PCs were to the mid 90’s.  Apple is formally suing HTC for patent infringement.  They are claiming that the touch-screen interface of the HTC’s phone line is too similar to the apple iPhone.  Technically they are right; HTC phones and their Windows Phone OS interact with users very similarly…but this is because it’s a smartphone.  There are only so many things that can be done with a touch-screen and a cell-phone sized computer interface, but somehow apple has managed to enumerate and patent most of them.

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Every Cloud has its silver lining, and the Data Economy Bill is no exception.  Yes it will prevent businesses and individuals from creating free wireless hotspots.  Yes it creates an unpleasant environment for those who cannot afford their own internet.  Yes it is an affront to the entire premise of the internet and free communication. Like many Draconian measures, it will bring with it a great deal of security.

Well, it had to happen sometime, somewhere, but it is still disappointing when it does.  With the passing of the three strikes law in France last year, it was inevitable that other European countries would jump on the web restriction bandwagon.  Unfortunately sometime is now, and somewhere is the UK.  Serious deliberations have recently begun to bring the Digital Economy Bill into effect.  The bill is a massive collections of regulatory measures on the internet. The most publicized of which, is a regulation that would make free public internet hotspots illegal.

Symbian just released a preview video for their new Symbian 4 interface, and reception has been less than ecstatic. The product doesn’t look particularly bad; in-fact the interface looks like quite the balance between usability and mutability.  The showcased default settings and touch screen commands look fairly intuitive.  The picture browsing seemed easy enough.  The customization seemed easy enough.  They are even more hardcore about their open source than Google.  All of these factors .were there, and yet somehow we couldn’t bring ourselves to care.  It was fundamentally sound, but irredeemably boring.

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Well, the French hyper luxury, hyper artsy tech company Celsius X VI II has just released a few small bits of information about their upcoming phone.  Unsurprisingly, both the product and the information about it seem appropriately hyper artsy, hyper luxurious, and French.  It is to be called the Papillion. What little information has been released is rather interesting, if not a bit over the top.  Like any piece of art, this one has a shtick, and this shtick is quite a doozey: a fully mechanical cellphone.

Well, it seems as though the numerous backlashes against Apple’s behavior last weekend finally paid off… We hope.  It seems as though they have gotten over their initial reactionary response to basic Photoshop functions like Wobble iBoob and realized that there is a happy medium between rampant obscenity and carte blanche censorship. Yes, they’ve actually decided to organize the AppStore a little better. If certain rumors are true, they will soon be including an explicit section in the store.

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