Google Voice app set for iPhone

"Google's Voice application has won approval to be on the iPhone after more than a year of haggling with Apple.
The breakthrough announced on Tuesday resolves a stand-off that triggered a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) inquiry into whether Apple and AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive US service provider, were trying to stifle competition by keeping the app off the popular device.
Among other things, Google's Voice application offers steep discounts on international calls and voice mail. The free app is already available for Blackberry phones and devices running on Google's Android operating system.
While waiting approval from Apple, Google in January revamped its mobile website to make it easier to use the Voice app on the iPhone. Now the free app can be installed on the device.
Apple's decision to finally accept the app comes more than a year after the FCC sent letters to Google, Apple and AT&T asking why Google Voice had not been approved for the iPhone. In its response at the time, Apple said it was blocking the app because it duplicated some of the iPhone's built-in features."

China claims computer speed record

"China has claimed to have built the world's fastest supercomputer, underlining its rise as a science and technology powerhouse.
The Tianhe-1 machine, housed at the National Centre for Supercomputing in the northern port city of Tianjin, is capable of sustained computing of 2.507 petaflops, the equivalent of 2,507 trillion calculations, per second.
The announcement was posted on Chinese computer research websites. An official listing of the world's fastest supercomputers, the semi-annual TOP500, is due to be issued on Friday.
If verified, Tianhe-1 would be significantly faster than the current title holder, the US Department of Energy's Cray XT5 Jaguar in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which topped the list issued in June at 1.75 petaflops per second.
Supercomputers are used for complex work such as modelling weather systems, simulating nuclear explosions and designing airliners.
The announcement highlighted how China is using rapid economic growth and sharp increases in research spending to join the United States, Europe and Japan in the global technology elite.
A 15-year government plan issued in 2006 promises support for areas ranging from computers to lasers to genetics."

India unveils low-cost tablet PC

India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 (£22.68) basic touch screen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011.

If the Government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would be the latest in a string of "world's cheapest" innovations to hit the market out of India, which is home to the 100,000 rupee (£1,378.38 ) compact Nano car, the 749 rupees (£10.32) water purifier and the $2,000 (£1,296.19 ) open-heart surgery.

The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing. It has a solar power option too - important for India's energy-starved hinterlands - though that add-on costs extra.

"This is our answer to MIT's $100 (£64.79) computer," Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told the Economic Times when he unveiled the device on Thursday.

In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte - co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab - unveiled a prototype of a $100 (£64.79) laptop for children in the developing world. India rejected that as too expensive and embarked on a multi-year effort to develop a cheaper option of its own.

Negroponte's laptop ended up costing about $200 (£129.56), but in May his non-profit association, One Laptop Per Child, said it planned to launch a basic tablet computer for $99 (£64.13).

Mr Sibal turned to students and professors at India's elite technical universities to develop the $35 (£22.68) tablet after receiving a "lukewarm" response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 (£6.47) eventually.

New iPhone 4 breaks launch record | Technology News | Orange UK

"Apple has said it has sold more than 1.7 million of its new iPhone model in the first three days, making it the most successful product launch in the company's history.
The iPhone 4 went on sale on Thursday in the US, Britain, France, Germany and Japan. High demand for the model caused shortages and unruly crowds at some stores.
'This is the most successful product launch in Apple's history,' said Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive. 'Even so, we apologise to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply.'
Some stores sold out in hours. Analysts have said Apple is having a hard time procuring enough parts for the phone, such as its new higher-resolution screen. Apple has said the white iPhone it plans to produce has been more challenging than expected and will not be available until late July. Only black models went on sale last week.
Apple sold more than a million units in the first three days when it launched last year's model, the 3GS. Canada, Italy, Spain and Switzerland were then among the launch countries, but Japan was not.
Apart from the sharper screen, the iPhone 4 features a slimmer body and faster processor than the previous model, among other changes."

iPhone 4 available in UK from 24 June - 08/06/2010 - Computer Weekly

iPhone 4 available in UK from 24 June - 08/06/2010 - Computer Weekly: "UK Apple users will be able to purchase the iPhone 4 from O2 from 24 June. The latest Apple smartphone offers multi-tasking and is claimed to be the thinnest smartphone in the world, with the highest resolution display ever built into a phone.
Apple has introduced technology called Retina display which it says has four times the pixel count of existing iPhones. Apple claims the resolution is so clear that the human eye will be unable to distinguish individual pixels, making text crisp and images appear sharp.
FaceTime is a new app which lets iPhone users make video calls. The iPhone 4 has two cameras, and either can be used for video calls.
Apple has also included a built-in three-axis gyroscope. When paired with the iPhone's accelerometer, it makes iPhone 4 capable of motion sensing such as user acceleration, angular velocity, and rotation rate. Apple says this allows the iPhone 4 to offer motion gestures and greater precision for games playing."

Apple iPhone 3G review by The Gadget Show

The basics
Apple iPhone 3G is the newest improvement of Apple Inc.'s iPhone. This gadget boasts of fast 3G wireless technology, enterprise features support (i.e., Microsoft Exchange), and GPS mapping. It is a combination of three products in one package: It's an internet device equipped with desktop-class browser and HTML-rich email, revolutionary high-tech phone, and iPod in widescreen.
The good
This is the handset the first iPhone should have been. With its innovate tap-swipe-pinch-and-stretch interface and crisp 3.5-inch touchscreen, it's always been the best phone for user-friendliness. Now it's the best for web browsing and downloading too, thanks to the better-late-than-never HSDPA for fast 3G action. Design-wise, only the metal casing round the back has gone, making way for a plastic cover. It sounds cheap, but looks the canine's cojones. It's also got GPS and is now a top games machine too, thanks to titles such as Super Monkey Ball, which you can download from the impressive iTunes App store.
The bad
Apple may have rectified the recessing 3.5mm headphone socket with a standard jack, so you can plug in some decent cans, but they ignored our pleas for a better camera. Why change the rest then stick with the two-megapixel camera, eh Apple?
The bottom line
Undeniably beautiful, with the best interface on any mobile phone ever in the history of mobiles, the iPhone 3G would be perfect save for a few notable deficiencies."

Debt can be deadly – here's how to avoid stocks with too much - MoneyWeek

Debt can be deadly – here's how to avoid stocks with too much - MoneyWeek: "One thing lies at the heart of all of today's financial problems – dodgy debt. It has steadily worked its way up the food chain, poisoning the financial eco-system as it goes.
First, it was individuals – American sub-prime debtors who couldn't pay their interest bills. Then it was banks, as the loans they'd made to those borrowers went bad.
Then it was countries like Greece who spent too much. Now whole currencies, like the euro, are under threat.
The jitters are already having a nasty impact on stock markets. The FTSE 100 was down nearly 3% yesterday. And things could get even worse if investors start fretting about the debt that private companies owe.
So where do London shares fit into the picture – and which companies have the most secure balance sheets?
Recommended reading
• The easiest way to bet on a falling euro
• How to profit from the end of the junk bond boom
• How safe is your dividend?
• 'Poitroski score' definedOverall, the UK's current corporate cash position isn't too bad. Non–financial companies in the FTSE 350 index have recently been raising lots more money. Some have cashed in on the stock market rally since March 2009 using rights issues. And others have flogged off more corporate bonds, as long-term interest rates have fallen."