Facebook Virus???? iMac Clones and Nokia 5800 is already out.

First off, apologies. According to Mobility Today, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic was released on October 2nd. Either i read the original article wrong, or CrunchGear had it wrong. As promised, i'm bringing you the tech specs.

Input method is pretty much the same as the iPhone. The phone features an on screen full QWETY keyboard which can be used in Portrait and Landscape modes. It also features a Guitar Pick like accessory that makes for easier typing, as well as handwriting recognition when the phone is used with the stylus that slides out the bottom. Display is a 3.2" widescreen with 640x360 resolution on a 16:9 ratio, naturally.

The interface features a "Media Bar" with shortcuts to the most commonly used media applications such as Video, Music, Internet and so on. Other features are a 3.2mp camera, integrated sterio speakers, a second camera on the face for video calls (this was supposed to be big at one stage but does anyone even use this feature anyway?) and the usual GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi.

Most important, the capacity of the device. The phone itself comes with an 8GB microSD card but is capable of using a 16GB. Internal memory is 81mb. I think this is one model thats might just turn the tables in the iPhone arena. The fact it's capable of making video clips (up to 90 minutes long depending on the memory card), and the hardware seems pretty jacked up might mean a cheaper and possibly better alternative to the iPhone. Looks are pretty much the same. But still....somehow the iPhone just seems that much more glamorous than anything else out there, doesn't it?

Argentenian firm OpeniMac has pretty much ignored the Psystar vs. Apple legal issue and released their own iMac clone. The company is currently offering 2 machines. The OpeniMac is only $990 and ships with 2GB of memory, 320GB HDD, and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD Pro. The OpeniMacPRO will run ya, $1,710 but is a 3.0GHz machine with 4GB of ram and a 20-inch widescreen LCD. You probably think i'm against Apple now because i've been writing up on alternatives to their products but thats not the case. Like i said, if i had the cash, i would definitely drop some into Steve Job's pocket, no matter the cost. One more thing....the computers appear to be in Spanish only. Hmmm....

According to Cnet.com, there's a new worm virus thats hit facebook. The virus comes as a private message asking the user to click on a link to view what is apparently a "funny" picture of them. The browser then connects to another website where the user is prompted with a message to update FlashPlayer, which is where things start to go downhill.....provided you're not smart enough to look at the signature of the software manufacturer. IE should pick up that the software vendor signature is not valid and warn you about opening the file.

My advice to stay safe, whenever you encouter a situation like this. Cancel or ignore everything, and go directly to the Adobe website and look for your update. That is, if you are using a browser that doesnt recognise the signatures. (i think they all do but i'm not sure. i'm a Firefox and Google Chrome fanboy so those are the only two i use.)

More info on Cnet.com. Link here.

If anyone wants links to the full stories (where available) i'll be more than happy to send them. Leave a comment or send me a message.

iPhone iPhone iPhone.... Some might be glad, some might be meh.

So my obsession with the iPhone might slowly start coming to an end. I've wanted one since they were released but with the packages the networks offer (and i just got into a 2 year contract. one is enough, i actually have 2 :[ shit!) are a little bit on the pricey side. And for an unlocked device on ebay, you're looking at about 600 euros (some are a little less but that comes off in my books as sketchy. whats wrong with it?)

HOWEVER! iPhone beware because on December 2nd, nokia brought out its N97 with 32GB Storage capacity. Top that iPhone. The device looks pretty flashy, but doesnt really have all the flair the iPhone has...somehow. From what i've seen, the GUI is somewhat cluttered and not as clean as that of the iPhone. Price is about $700 and for now the phone looks to be SIM free (you can use it on any network. no packages, no hidden costs, no contract!). Pretty much, its a 32GB multimedia phone with 5mp camera, 3.5" touchscreen, kick out QWERTY keyoard (makes life a lot easier), supports up to 16GB microSD cards (a whopping 48GB altogether if you have one), and the usual HSDPA, 3G and WiFi. Oh and a GPS. Operating system is Symbian S60 now in its 5th Edition.
A second iPhone killer from Nokia (no news on that yet.) will be the 5800 XpressMusic. This one will be in black with a more iPhone-ish look and running on the same OS as the N97. I don't have specs on it now, but i'm sure i will have them by the end of tonight as i'm running short on time right now.

Back to the iPhone, modders have managed to get the Linux 2.6 kernal to load on it. But thats about as far as it goes. No GUI, no GNOME, no KDE, just the simple command prompt. Hey, its a start. The guy working also demostrated a BootCamp like utility that allows you to choose what you want to do when you turn on the phone. You can either load the normal iPhone interface, or choose a more advanced interface that allows you to get into the hardware and boot the linux kernal. Links will be posted later.


iPhone Linux Demonstration Video from planetbeing on Vimeo.

And last but not least, for the people in America. A $99 iPhone? Yes, apparently WalMart is set to start selling iPhones for $99. Whats the catch? Well, a 4GB capacity and....oh yeah....a 2 year contract (didn't see that one coming huh *sarcasm*).

Still want one? I think i might slowly change my mind. More iPhone competitors and updates coming soon.