We heard yesterday that Telia customers might be getting an MMS app for their iPhones, and that it was being developed by the carrier themselves, with plans to launch in the next two months. Well, today we've gotten word that Mobispine is likely the developer of said application, and that they have plans to offer it to carriers all over planet Earth. Mobispine says that the app will be branded to each particular operator, and distributed via Apple's App Store, but we don't know when all of this is going to go down. Now we'd just like to meet the caveman owner of the iPhone pictured above who needed to be told (on November 15th!) that "Obama will be our next president."

[Thanks, Mike]

By now most of us have heard this story in one fashion or another: when Steve Jobs and Apple were in the planning stages of the iPhone, the first carrier they brought the device to America's largest network, Verizon. Even if you haven't heard how the tale ends -- Verizon refused and Jobs took his multi-billion dollar ball to AT&T -- you surely know the outcome. The iPhone has soared to become the ultimate smartphone, the must-have accessory that everyone from celebrities to your mom wants -- nay, needs -- to have in their pocket. It's changed the landscape of modern cellphones, put a serious dent in the sales of competing devices (just recently overtaking the venerable RAZR as the best-selling domestic handset), and unquestionably raised the bar when it comes to expectations for features in new handsets.

It may seem unfair to open up the review of RIM's latest BlackBerry -- the Storm -- with a history lesson on the iPhone, but if you understand the market which Verizon and RIM hope to capture, then you understand the Storm, and it helps put this critique in perspective. The Storm, a widescreen, touchscreen, device boasts many of the same features as the iPhone, but adds innovations like a clickable display, and comes packed with RIM's legendary email and messaging services. Mainlined into the biggest (and some say best) network in the States, the Storm is an almost deafening blast to the competition at first glance, but does it hold up on closer inspection? Read on to find out.

There's just nothing like the holiday season, folks. That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when spending your last dollar on a gift for someone you aren't even that fond of -- really, what else can compare? On second thought, maybe this can. Microsoft has just announced that, beginning today, Zune Pass users will be able to select ten tracks per month to keep forever (and ever, and ever), and the $14.99 monthly subscription rate isn't headed up. Agreements have been miraculously nailed down between Microsoft and EMI Music, Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, not to mention a number of independent distributors. We must say, we certainly appreciate the gesture here, but is it enough to make fencesitters buy in? What say you?

For home theater junkies who've been having a difficult time taking the Apple TV seriously, you should definitely have a look at what the latest software update brings to the dinner table. First off, we should warn you that any non-Apple TV software (like, you know, Boxee) will be banished should you choose to update, but if you're kosher on that front, we'll continue on. Apple's changelog notes that AirTunes streaming is now enabled, meaning that tunes can be streamed from the STB to AirPort Express speakers or other ATV units nearby. Additionally, the box can now learn other remotes, meaning that you can probably get your universal remote to handle this bugger, too. The last big addition is that Playlists in iTunes can now be seen on Apple TV, and there's also support for volume control in Music. Grab the download from within your box now if you dare, and feel free to chime in with any other noteworthy changes you happen upon.

[Via TUAW]

Jealous your almost instantly-obsolete Eee PC doesn't have that speedy new SSD with integrated controller ASUS is using in newer models? Well, Runcore's got you covered -- it's just launched a line of MLC SSDs with similar integrated controllers that offer 70Mbps read and 50Mbps write speeds. Even better, they're pretty damn cheap: just $70 for 16GB, $199 for 64GB, and a slightly less cheap $389 for 128GB. Sadly, they're mini-PCIe, so you probably can't go sticking them in your daily driver machine for a little speed boost, but you can't have it all, Chico.

Creative's Vado pocket cam hasn't been nearly as popular as the various Flips or the Kodak Zi6, but it looks like the company is taking another shot at it -- hot on the heels of the Flip Mino HD's introduction, we're seeing hints that a Vado HD is on the way as well. All we know so far is the S$299 (US$195) pricetag printed in Creative's Singapore holiday catalog, but the short HD videos posted by a user named "Vado" on Vimeo look nice enough. Check 'em after the break -- hopefully we'll find out more soon.

Oh sure, you could select Dell's multitouch-enabled Latitude XT over HP's latest, but given the $1,829 starting price of the former, we'd say the TouchSmart tx2z is looking a lot more delectable these days. Hailed as the first multitouch "consumer" convertible tablet (a claim that's certainly open for debate), the 12.1-inch tx2 gets going at just $1,149.99, though HP's "recommended" configuration starts at $1,223.99. The baseline setup includes Vista Home Premium, a 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2, 3GB of DDR2 RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics set, 250GB of HDD space and a built-in webcam. As of now, the estimated build date shows December 8th, so we'd get that order in five minutes ago if you're looking to ensure a holiday delivery.

You've been adequately teased with what all USB 3.0 (or SuperSpeed USB, as we tend to refer to it) can do, but a gaggle of companies took the chance in San Jose, California to really demonstrate just how quick the protocol is. Most notable was the demo by Synopsys, which prototyped an HDTV video transmission system based on USB 3.0 and showed to wide-mouthed onlookers that an uncompressed 1080p feed at 30 frames-per-second could be whisked along at around 450Mbps. Sure, USB 3.0 has wireless HD to watch out for, but given that said technology is currently on track for an August 2298 release, it could really do some tethered damage in the meanwhile.

Be honest with yourself: you've always wanted a dedicated, 16-key emoticon keyboard with "keys" that pulled doubled duty as expressive jewelry, right? Well, you got it! Bajca's Smile Keypad aims to "make real the emoticon," and as far as we can tell, they've totally nailed it. The USB-friendly keyboard has classic smiley face-looking keys which pop out using some special tongs, then are popped into pieces of jewelry -- rings, bracelets, necklaces -- sky's the limit, apparently. It's not really crystal clear if all of these pieces are going to be included, or if they'll be sold separately, or if this is ever going to make it to the market. All we can do is hope. Check out a few more emotionally charged shots after the break.

[Thanks, Matilde]

Not that we'd expect any reputable digital picture frame manufacturer to consort with a real, live hand model, but we've gotta hand it to Giant International for discovering this particularly unnatural, eerily glowing appendage to point vaguely at its new Intouch IT7150. Lucky for us, the device in question is not at all cheap and uninviting, featuring a 7-inch 800 x 480 LCD touchscreen, 802.11b/g WiFi, USB to PC connection cable and the standard complement of memory card slots. What makes this particularly fun is vTuner support, which allows for play back of 11,000 radio and TV stations (primarily public access and other undesirables on the TV side), in addition to the increasingly standard FrameChannel service for photo sharing and RSS subscriptions. There's also a built-in rechargeable battery for about 1.5 hours of portable use. At $349, you're certainly paying a pretty penny for all these good times, but if vTuner isn't your bag, you can drop that support and pick up the frame for $299.

[Via Digital Picture Frame Review]