Google unleashed its weapons this week upon a couple of apps that can prove disastrous to your device. Google announced that it removed two useless but still Terms of Service-infringing apps. Google does admit, however, that most of the users who downloaded these programs had deleted them already, and that this removal was more of a test of the remote application removal feature than was it a cleanup operation. Google has said that it will let the users know if the application is removed by sending a notification to the phone.

Gazelle (www.gazelle.com), a service of Second Rotation, Inc., is committed to providing an easy, fast, and safe way for consumers to get cash for selling unwanted electronics or to recycle them responsibly. To date, more than 80,000 consumers have used the service as a way to clean out closets, get cash and help out a good cause. In addition, Gazelle empowers consumers to avoid time consuming and risky online experiences associated with peer-to-peer selling. Consumers can rest assured that all personal information is thoroughly removed from their item while benefiting from conveniences like free shipping and packaging. Based in Boston, Gazelle is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates and RockPort Capital Partners.

Callers are welcome to join the conversation during the show by calling (347) 996-3134. The live, Internet talk-radio show will stream from the host page at http://go.cosmicthings.com/livegazelle.

“This exclusive interview with Anthony Scarsella is a must-listen for anyone with an old phone,” said Jamie, host of the program. “Anthony is an executive at Gazelle, a service which has bought back 10,000 iPhones since the announcement of the iPhone 4 on June 7th. Many of these phones were bought for between $200 and $300 dollars, allowing customers to literally upgrade for free to iPhone 4.”

An archive will be available at the same link immediately following the show or listeners can subscribe to the archives via the RSS feed located on the host page.

About “Tech Talk Live”
“Tech Talk Live” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on technology news and software. Hosts Jamie Welch, Nancy Raskauskas, Jackson Berger, and Bobby Schaeffer explore the world of Technology every week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 996-3134 to listen or ask questions of Tom. The stream and archives are available at http://live.cosmicthings.com. The show is live every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern/ 5 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

# # #

Press Contact
Jamie Welch
(317) 426-7642
info@cosmicthings.com

Republished from the Cosmic Things Pressroom.

The Barnes & Noble Nook electronic book reader, right, and the Amazon.com Kindle 2 ebook reader are displayed for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Barnes & Noble announced Monday a new version of its Nook electronic book reader that supports only a Wi-Fi connection and is priced at $149. It also cut the price on the 3G Nook model to $199.  In response to this, Amazon cut the price of its Kindle eBook reader to $189 with free Two Day shpping, much lower than its previous price of $259.  Amazon has lowered the Kindle’s price several times since it debuted in 2007 at $399.

According to Tony Astarita, vice president for digital products at Barnes & Noble.com, the new Nook was built in response to market research and customer feedback. “It’s targeted at someone who’s a solid reader but someone with Wi-Fi availability at home or outside the home and is not as mobile a traveler or reader as a 3G person,” he told PCWorld.

At $149, the new Wi-Fi Nook is competitive with the Sony Pocket Reader and the Kobe e-reader from competing mega-bookseller Borders. However, neither of those competing readers support Wi-Fi and the Sony product has only a five-inch screen compared to a six-inch display for the Nook. In addition to offering free Wi-Fi access within its stores, it allows Nook users to read any electronic book without purchasing it within stores, as well as offering free content and coupon deals.

Other distinctive features include time-limited lending of books between users of the Nook platform, which includes software that runs on a variety of mobile devices, including Apple’s iPad. “Our strategy is any book, any time, any place,” Astarita observed.

The new Nook is a half ounce lighter than its 3G sibling and has a white, rather than gray, back panel. What’s more, it, as well as its 3G relative, offers complementary access to some 20,000 AT&T wireless hotspots across the country.

By ROGER CHENG And NICK WINGFIELD

Apple Inc. launched a legal broadside against a key Google Inc. partner in the cellphone market, the latest sign of the escalating tensions between the two Silicon Valley companies.

Apple alleged numerous patent violations in lawsuits against HTC Corp., a Taiwan-based manufacturer of smart phones. HTC makes several phones that run Google’s Android operating system, including the Nexus One phone that Google is selling directly to consumers.

Apple’s two complaints—filed Tuesday in federal court in Delaware and the U.S. International Trade Commission—allege HTC devices, including the Nexus One, infringe a total of 20 Apple patents. The complaints claim the patents cover an array of cellphone technologies, everything from power-management functions to a method of unlocking a handset with a finger swipe on a touch screen.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a prepared statement. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

An HTC spokesman said the company is still reviewing the complaints. “HTC values patent rights and their enforcement but is also committed to defending its own technology innovations,” said spokesman Keith Novak.

A Google spokeswoman said that, while the company was not a party in the lawsuit, the company “stands behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it.” Apple declined to comment on whether the suit was aimed at Google.

Apple’s share of global smart-phone shipments surged to 14.4% last year from nothing when it entered the market almost three years ago, according to research firm IDC. HTC, which makes smart phones that run both Android and software from Microsoft Corp., accounted for 4.6% of the market in 2009, IDC said.

The Android technology is open source, meaning other companies are free to use and modify it, but Google works closely with handset makers like HTC to help them customize it for their devices and was closely involved in the development of the Nexus One.

While Google and other Android manufacturers weren’t named as a defendants in Apple’s suits, the legal challenges could be a way for Apple to rattle handset makers that are considering using the software, lawyers said.

HTC Chief Financial Officer Hui-Ming Cheng said Wednesday it is too early to say whether the Apple allegations will have a material impact on the company’s operations. “Our legal counsel is still studying the matter, and we’re still trying to understand the details of the case,” Mr. Cheng said. He confirmed that Apple has accused HTC of violating 20 patents in total, but declined to say which of its handset models use these patents.

While HTC also makes phones based on an operating system from Microsoft, several models of which are named in Apple’s ITC complaint, the lawsuits emphasize alleged violations by HTC’s Android phones. Those include high-profile models like Droid Eris, sold through Verizon Wireless.

The complaint with the ITC, a trade body, seeks to block imports of HTC devices made with the contested technology. Such disputes are increasingly common among technology companies and can take more than a year to resolve.

Apple Sues HTC, the Maker of Google’s Nexus One Phone – WSJ.com.

TAT is a Swedish software technology and design company  that differentiate and enhance the user experience of portable devices. TAT is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, and has local offices in Korea and USA.

Soon TAT will introduce a gesture powered 3-D home screen for Android phones that combines UI technology with remarkable design elements. Here is the preview.