Two weeks ago you’d have to pay an Australian importer for a specialized USB key. Four days ago open-source software let you roll your own. Today, there’s no need for any of that — you can hack your PS3 with a tethered smartphone. Working closely with the PSGroove team, hacker Kakaroto adapted the same jailbreak to the Nokia N900, and the open-source community lost no time porting it to the Palm Pre as well. If the videos after the break are any indication, both versions work just as well as the original, and you too can get your game on with downloads and detailed instructions at the source links below.

Sadly, the aforementioned Australian importer OzModChips is a casualty of this little story, with all its shipments of the PS Jailbreak dongle seized (and the item subject to injunction) by an Australian court, but we suppose knowing its product has enabled the hardware hacking community thus might somewhat soften the blow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video)

PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a flood of leaks, Verizon’s just officially announced its prepaid data plan for smartphones. The new 3G Prepaid data package will offer smartphone users “unlimited” data for a month, while feature phone users can score 25MB of data a month for with a 20-cent-per-meg overage fee — all contract-free, of course. The prepaid smartphones include all of Verizon’s Android phones, the Pre and Pixi Plus, as well as most recent BlackBerrys, which is a pretty solid list of choices — and you can sign up for them today or online on September 28. Of course, you’re still on the hook for a full price phone and a voice plan (and there’s no mention of texting), so whether or not this works out to be a deal is up to you, but we’re definitely seeing the prepaid data market start to significantly heat up, and we like it. PR with full device list after the break.

Continue reading Verizon officially announces prepaid smartphone data packages

Verizon officially announces prepaid smartphone data packages originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Nokia C6-01 is a Symbian^3 touchscreen candybar with 8 megapixel camera?

Nokia C6-01 is a Symbian^3 touchscreen candybar with 8 megapixel camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The NITDroid project has been slogging along this year in an effort to get Android fully ported to Nokia’s N900, and the progress has been promising so far — but wouldn’t it be nice if you could, you know, make calls? Looks like these guys are making some solid progress there with a new video showing both incoming and outgoing calls doing… well, something or another on the N900 side. Cellular data’s coming along nicely, too, as you can see on the video after the break — so here’s the million-dollar question: when this is rock-solid and ready for prime time, are you jumping ship or sticking with Maemo?

Continue reading Fully-functional Android port for N900 threatens to beat N9 to market

Fully-functional Android port for N900 threatens to beat N9 to market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judging from some documents we’ve received, Big Red is looking to clear out a lot of inventory right about now — presumably to make room for some upcoming models, some of which we’ve already heard about through the grapevine. Specifically, the Pre Plus along with the BlackBerry Storm2 and Curve 8530 are apparently marked “Phase Out”; in the case of the Pre Plus, we know Verizon’s site has had it marked out of stock for a little while now, while rumors of a Storm3 and Curve 9330 have been floating around for some time. Also on the chopping block are a couple netbooks, a USB modem, and the MiFi, a device we’ve heard would be replaced with the ZTE-sourced, dual-mode Fivespot in the near future. All makes sense, doesn’t it? Follow the break for a second shot.

[Thanks, Wildkat]

Continue reading Right on time: Verizon phasing out Pre Plus, Storm2, Curve 8530, others?

Right on time: Verizon phasing out Pre Plus, Storm2, Curve 8530, others? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leave it to Apple to make the process of building software to work with new third party iPhone hardware sound like some Kafkaesque nightmare. Here’s the basic gist of it: Apple, just like always, has to approve any third party hardware that plugs into one of its iOS devices over the 30-pin dock connector. What’s new is that before only the first party manufacturer could build software that works with that hardware, but now Apple is allowing that manufacturer to act as a gatekeeper for third party apps that would interoperate with its hardware. That means exciting times for app developers that are raring to mix with the likes of Line 6’s MIDI Mobilizer (pictured) and AKAI’s SynthStation 25, but it’s also a far cry from the land of computers where anybody can build a plug-and-play USB MIDI device, and anybody can build software that speaks to it. It also means juggling proprietary SDKs, NDAs, and other agreements, which could become very difficult for developers if or when the hardware availability balloons. Hopefully we can get something more elegant before it comes to that. Hit up the source link for an in-depth discussion of this issue.

The iPhone gets third party apps for third party hardware, but the proprietary SDKs make the future sad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For a carrier that only offers the lowly Pearl Flip 8230 and Curve 8530 right now, you could definitely argue that regional US Cellular is in desperate need of a BlackBerry freshening — and it’s getting exactly that this week with the launch of the Bold 9650. Though it won’t have BlackBerry 6 at launch, USCC’s press release is quick to note that the phone is “BlackBerry 6 ready” and will be available as an upgrade “in the coming months.” Like other 9650s in the field, this version offers a GSM / HSPA radio on board for global roaming capability, a 3.2 megapixel shooter, optical pad, and — of course — all the portrait QWERTY action you can handle. Look for it in stores tomorrow for 9.95 after a rebate on a new two-year deal.

Continue reading US Cellular adding BlackBerry Bold 9650 tomorrow for 0

US Cellular adding BlackBerry Bold 9650 tomorrow for 0 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we’ve gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don’t need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read – LG T310i
Read – LG P509
Read – LG MS690
Read – Kyocera C4700
Read – Samsung SGH-A197
Read – Huawei U3200
Read – Huawei U8150-B
Read – VeryKool i600
Read – Haier HG-U53

Peripherals
Read – Nokia BH-217
Read – Huawei E173s-1
Read – Huawei E173s-2

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve always been fans of the odd form factor espoused by Motorola’s longstanding Ming series of devices in China — a form factor seen only briefly in the US with Verizon’s Krave — and now that Moto’s made the leap to Android across its global smartphone lineup, it makes sense to move the MING from custom-cooked Linux to Android, too. The A1680 has been floating around in the wild since back in April of this year, but Motorola’s MOTDEV site for developers has now spilled the beans on all the crucial specs. Strangely, there are some basics missing like proximity and ambient light sensors — usually must-haves for touchscreen devices — and the 624MHz PXA935 core should doom it to the lower end of the performance spectrum, but at least it can scale up to 32GB of add-on storage and you’ve got a WVGA display at your disposal. Hey, Moto, if you’re listening: we still think this kind of design is pretty cool, in the odd chance you’re game to give Westerners another shot at it.

[Thanks, Austin]

Motorola’s dev site details Android-powered Ming A1680 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It took two long years for India to (allegedly) tap BlackBerry traffic, but Saudi Arabia may not have to wait nearly as long; the Wall Street Journal reports that RIM has all but agreed to set up a local server in the country. While we’ve no details yet on what the deal entails, an unnamed Saudi telecom official said negotiations are already in the final stages. Sorry, RIM, but it looks like Saudi Arabia called your bluff. We imagine the company will deny any potential for government snooping in short order… and both Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates will start planning their own attempts to wrest away control. We’ll let you know where this house of cards falls.

Update: Saudi Arabia has reportedly given its three national cellular carriers 48 hours to try out proposed solutions that “meet the regulatory demands” of the country, else the BlackBerry messaging ban will take effect as originally planned.

RIM averts Saudi Arabia’s BlackBerry messaging ban, negotiates surrender (update: 48-hour ultimatum) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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