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BlackBerry Storm 2 announced with review


BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Inc. (RIM) has officially unveiled the new BlackBerry Storm 2, the successor of RIM’s very first touch-screen based device.

It is expected RIM will be announcing availability in the coming days. The phone should head to Verizon first in the U.S. and later in the Europe from Vodafone.

The Storm 2 will feature basic enhancements compared to the first-generation Storm. RIM has enhanced the SureType text-entry to only electronic-based, and there will now be no moving parts. The memory has also been doubled to 256MB of flash memory, and there is now 2GB of on board storage. The device features GPS, a 3.2MP camera, and now includes 802.11 b/g WiFi.

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YouTube launches EDU, adds Twitter share button, Twitter SMS now free on Vodafone UK


twitter global traffic YouTube launches EDU, adds Twitter share button, Twitter SMS now free on Vodafone UKTwitter is continuing to gain more and more traction as more people than ever are now joining the social network. A very big important milestone was reached today, a Twitter share button has now been added on all YouTube video pages in the top share list alongside with MySpace, Facebook, and now, Twitter.

You can now easily tweet a video with the video title and URL included in the tweet automatically. However, the URL is currently not shortened, but YouTube will be changing this in the near future. It is also rumored YouTube may create its own URL shortening feature to accommodate the change.

Although growing quickly, Twitter’s hasn’t really established its business model yet. Twitter founder Biz Stone recently told the WSJ that premium services are under development and will be available by the end of 2009. Stone also said that Twitter has hired a product manager to oversee the development and monetization of commercial accounts. He went on to say that all existing features will remain free of charge for everyone, including for companies, but other premium features could be added for a fee. Twitter has yet to disclose any premium features under development.

The most recent VC round of investment valued the company at $255 million.

In more Twitter news, the company has now confirmed it will start offering free SMS usage for Vodafone customers in the UK.

In more YouTube news, the social video-sharing site today launched YouTube EDU, an educational section of the site focused on helping you find and watch educational content that is uploaded by educational institutions such as MIT. Videos include lectures to events, among an assortment of other videos. YouTube is set to officially launch YouTube EDU tomorrow.

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Phone Makers Agree to Standardized Charger by 2012


17 phone makers and carriers today announced their agreement with the GSMA Organization to standardize cell phone charging connectors by 2012. The charging standard will be the micro-USB connector. Companies include AT&T, LG, Mobilkom Austria, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Sony Ericsson, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Motorola, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telenor, among other companies. RIM did not sign on with the deal, and currently uses the mini-USB standard. However, it wouldn’t be surprising for the company to use micro-USB by then.

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Samsung Confirms 3 Google Android Phones, At Least One LiMo Phone


samsung Samsung Confirms 3 Google Android Phones, At Least One LiMo PhoneSamsung Product Strategy executive Won-Pyo Hongsaid in a Reuters interview Samsung is committed to developing and releasing 3 phones powered by Google’s Android mobile OS in 2009. He also went on to say Samsung would release at least one LiMo Linux handset in 2009. Last week, various carriers including Orange, NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Vodafone, Telefonica, among other partners announced their commitment to Linux Mobile powered handsets.

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BlackBerry Pearl Flip Launches in India Vodafone


blackberry pearl flip BlackBerry Pearl Flip Launches in India Vodafone

Very simply, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip phone is now available in India from Vodafone. It features a SureType keyboard, 2MP camera, and other more simple features. Complete specs can be found at GSMArena.