No More Windows Phone Unlocks Via ChevronWP7 Labs For Now

ChevronWP7 Labs was the only Microsoft-approved way for users to unlock their Windows Phones for $9, aside the Microsoft AppHub where developers get unlocks in exchange of $99. It looks like the AppHub will remain the only solution, at least for the near future.

The ChevronWP7 Labs team said on Twitter that once the unlock tokens sell out, they "don't (currently) have plans to restock". Later on confirmation came that "ChevronWP7 Labs enters the New Year with 10,000 token sales under our belt". "Our agreement with Microsoft was to sell no more than 10,000 tokens. Our team doesn’t currently have plans to renegotiate this number, although it’s a matter we’re still discussing", they said.

This means that currently you will only be able to unlock your device via the "developer" way, of course, unless ChevronWP7 and Microsoft agree to hand out more tokens or someone else takes action and starts offering another unlocking solution. We (still) don't know the exact Windows Phone numbers in order to calculate a percentage but it sure looks like users want to embrace homebrew (or were there also a lot of devs that wanted to check out the platform and their apps before going to the AppHub?)

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note shown in leaked photos

There are two images you’re about to see here, both of them showing what our source here is saying is the official AT&T version of the soon to be released in the USA Samsung Galaxy Note. This device is already released in international sectors, that being basically everywhere outside the USA, but has yet to formally be released here in the states. What we’re seeing here is basically the same device but with AT&T branded and a slightly different bit of hardware that brings it much more in line with the USA group of Galaxy devices – notably in the front bottom area where the single physical home button has been replaced by the four Android buttons us Americans are used to.


This device is being noted by SamMobile to have one notable addition that the Galaxy Note international edition does not have: an NFC Chip. THis will allow the device to interact with NFC devices galore and very possibly allow it to work with Google Wallet, a system currently only activated on the Nexus S 4G smartphone. This device has a 5.29-inch WXGA Super AMOLED display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and a stylus which fits inside the device itself for easy transport.
This device will be launched with TouchWiz 4.0 over the top of Gingerbread, and will come standard with Qik for video chat. Additional bits included in this release of the device with TouchWiz 4.0 are Face Recognition, Augmented Reality, and Multistage for ease in arranging your many apps. The processor is not yet known for this release, but the 8 megapixel camera on the back complete with 1080p video recording appears to be in-tact. This device, like most recent Samsung releases, also features an MHL port which acts as a microUSB as well as an HDMI-out with the correct converter cord, also from Samsung.

This device also will have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich soon after it launches, but will still be launching with Android 2.3 Gingerbread at the start. The images you’re seeing are one press image complete with stylus and one showing the innards with what SamMobile is saying is “NFC Detail.” We’ll know more soon, we’re sure!

Hackers to counter censorship laws by launching amateur satellites

An article by the BBC states that hackers might be planning to launch satellites to counter censorship laws. Hackers can choose to launch satellites to high altitudes using balloons, but the problem usually is with tracking them. The hackers' plan is to setup a Hackerspace Global Grid, which will be a widely spread network that will monitor and track the movement of these balloon-satellites. Attempts so far have been limited, as tracking them has been a major hurdle. Activist Nick Farr put a word out to get funds to kickstart the project, a few months back. If censorship is to be countered on the ground, taking the Internet to the skies seems to be the way to go.

Newer methods to facilitate attacks 

The plan is to use many easy-to-build base stations looking into space for moving satellites and receive and send data to them. GPS works by using multiple satellites to pinpoint our location on earth. The system developed for the Hackerspace Global Grid will similarly use multiple ground stations to find the location of these satellites. Each base station is expected to cost around 100 Euros (approximately Rs.7,000). Experts do not expect the mission to go as planned, as fast moving satellites are difficult to communicate and maintain a constant connection with. The plans, however, aren’t limited to just sending balloons to space, they’re much larger. The group plans to put a man on the moon in the next 23 years.

LG previews 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV

LG continues its pre-CES 2012 OLED HDTV tease, revealing images and more details of the 55-inch uber-panel set to go on show next week. Having confirmed the cheaper panel late last month, LG is now talking specifics with its 4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner technology: throwing in an extra, white pixel to the usual red, green and blue trio, for more accurate colors, along with improvements in hues and tones through the use of “an LG algorithm.”


That – along with OLED’s inherent display advantages – means LG can promise an infinite contrast ratio for the new 55-incher, with pictures LG says are simply impossible with existing LCD and LED panels. It’s faster, too: 1,000x faster, in fact, than LED and LCD, for smear-free movies and sports.
As the new press shots show, all that display technology will be wrapped in a super-slick design, with a 4mm thick bezel. The whole set will weigh a mere 7.5kg, making it ideal for wall-mounting. There’s 3D support, too.
What LG still isn’t confirming is price, and though this new display uses a cheaper production process based on Oxide TFT technology, we’re still expecting it to carry a premium tag. That – along with release dates – will presumably be shared at CES next month; we’ll be there to bask in LG’s glow.

Sony Tablet S gets $100 discount to undercut iPad

Sony has slashed $100 off of its Tablet S, undercutting the iPad with the Android-powered slate in an attempt to better bite into Apple’s segment dominance. Described at Sony’s online store as an “instant saving” – but to betanews as a permanent price reduction – the $100 cut makes the 16GB Tablet S $399.99 and the 32GB model $499.99.


A lower sticker isn’t the only temptation Sony hopes will sway buyers its way. The company is currently running a promotion offering five free movie rentals through its Video Unlimited service, five free PlayStation Store downloads and a 180 day trial membership to Music Unlimited, to better showcase the Tablet S’ gaming and multimedia prowess.
Meanwhile, Sony confirmed last month that it planned an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for both the Tablet S and the folding Tablet P, though declined to specify a timeline for when the updates could be expected.

Apple TV gets unofficial iOS app support

Apple’s set-top box, the Apple TV, has been coaxed into running full iOS apps, effectively turning the $99 device into a palm-sized iOS computer. The handiwork of Steve Troughton-Smith, the hack allows iPhone and iPad apps like Safari, Facebook and Angry Birds to be run on your big-screen TV at 720p 1280 x 720 resolution, using a Jailbroken Apple TV and some cleverly cooked code.


Although Apple’s own AirPlay streaming technology can put video content on your Apple TV from your iOS device, so far the Cupertino company has proved reluctant to enable iOS apps themselves or give access to the App Store on the STB. That’s despite the fact that, as has been known from the start, the Apple TV runs iOS just like its phone, PMP and tablet siblings.
In order to do what Apple has so far opted not to, Troughton-Smith used an alternative to SpringBoard custom written by fellow coder TheMudkip. That, MobileX, was rewritten using QuartzCore and includes an embedded VNC server among other things.
Troughton-Smith originally used VNC or SSH to remotely control the Apple TV, but has since cooked up a hack to add Apple IR remote control support to iOS apps. That’s up for download now – along with the caution that developers probably shouldn’t submit software to Apple for App Store inclusion using it – though the actual iOS app support code hasn’t been released.

RIM extends PlayBook festive offer by a week

RIM seems to have had the most perfect start for 2012 coming its way especially after a period of lull that it was facing. News has it that slashing the prices of their PlayBook tablet has worked wonders for the Canadian company, since this way they managed to sell off all units of their tablet, across all retail outlets in the country. Research in Motion decided to slash the prices of their PlayBook tablet by half i.e. Rs.13,490 for the 16-GB version. The fortunate turn of events has pleased the company so much that it has decided to extend this festive offer by another week. To facilitate this, RIM has begun stocking on fresh units of the tablet, which, if all goes good, should fly off shelves in a week's time. 

Economic Times quotes Research In Motion Managing Director India Sunil Dutt as saying, "We are pleased to see the excitement and overwhelming response to our limited festive season offer on BlackBerry PlayBook. I believe that the 16-GB and 32-GB version of the PlayBook is completely sold out in the retail channels." The report further states that, "The company sold more than 12,000 devices in just four days since the offer was announced on December 28 and distributors -- Redington and Ingram -- are waiting for new stock to come in."

So,  if you were waiting for the right time to buy the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, then this seems to be one.