Despite the fact that the image above is a joke and that crazy wooden phone is not actually an IKEA handset, we are certainly not joking when we tell you that IKEA has just become the most recent addition to the MVNO game. The Swedish manufacturer / retailer let the cat out of the vacker yesterday when it announced plans to offer a new mobile phone service. Dubbed “Family Mobile”, the forthcoming service will run on the back of T-Mobile networks and will become officially available this Friday. Don’t get too excited now; IKEA is starting off slowly and will initially make the service available to Loyalty Card holders in the UK. It appears as though affordability and cost management will be the underlying themes and the only pricing information available at this point is 9p per minute for calls and 6p per text. Pricing is fixed regardless of time and day and so far all we know is that £10 prepaid cards will be available. IKEA employees who partake will also receive a bonus credit of £5 on their SIMs to start them off. Classy. So the next time you head out to your local UK IKEA for some Swedish meatballs and a $7 desk that will take no less than 36 hours to assemble, don’t forget to drop by the mobile counter and check out the goods.

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Too funny. Circuit City headquarters recently had a fit when it discovered that the latest issue of MAD Magazine, a publication that it offers in its retail stores, ran a spoof called “Sucker City”. The four-page feature pokes a bit of fun at Circuit City and apparently when some higher ups caught wind of it they were none too happy. Our favorite quote from page one of Mad’s spoof:

Visit our new store on Rt. 17 directly across the street from Best Buy or visit any of our other 600 stores directly across the street from 600 other Best Buys!

Outstanding. As soon as headquarters was notified of the Circuit City spoof, it removed the magazine from inventory systems and issued an official notice to all stores. In a nutshell, the memo stated that all copies of the current issue of MAD should be destroyed immediately and discarded. Shortly after the internal memo was released publicly however, Circuit City PR kicked in and went into crisis control mode. They did a pretty good job actually, issuing a comical public statement and informing the original post author that affected stores would be replacing the magazines on store shelves immediately. Good show fellas. Hit the jump for page one of Mad’s feature, a copy of the internal memo issued by Circuit City headquarters and then the body of the clean up letter.

Hi, Ben,

I spotted the article about Circuit City and MAD Magazine on your site.

fyi, I became aware of this “situation” only this morning, and I have sent a note today to the Editors of MAD Magazine.

Speaking as “an embarrassed corporate PR Guy,” I apologized for the fact that some overly-sensitive souls at our corporate headquarters ordered the removal of the August issue of MAD Magazine from our stores. Please keep in mind that only 40 of our 700 stores sell magazines at all.

The parody of our newspaper ad in the August MAD was very clever. Most of us at Circuit City share a rich sense of humor and irony…but there are occasional temporary lapses.

We apologize for the knee-jerk reaction, and have issued a retraction order; the affected stores are being directed to put the magazines back on sale.

As a gesture of our apology and deep respect for the folks at MAD Magazine, we are creating a cross-departmental task force to study the importance of humor in the corporate workplace and expect the resulting Powerpoint presentation to top out at least 300 pages, chock full of charts, graphs and company action plans.

In addition I have offered to send the MAD Magazine Editor a $20.00 Circuit City Gift Card, toward the purchase of a Nintendo Wii….if he can find one!

All the best,

Jim Babb
Corporate Communications
Circuit City Stores, Inc.
Richmond, VA

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AT&T has just quietly let slip plans to extend their period of exclusivity on the iPhone for an extra year. Original scheduled to expire in 2009, the company will now spend an extra year as the exclusive distributor of the Apple iPhone in the United States. AT&T’s head honcho Randall Stephenson noted that the iPhone is “everything we hoped it would be,” and stated their plans to continue selling the device through the 2010 calendar year. While this is certainly music to Apple’s ears, we can’t help but wonder if AT&T might benefit from playing their cards a bit closer to the vest and keeping some bargaining chips in their corner. Ah well…strategy is for chumps, right?

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If were wondering whether or not dealing with cellular carriers really is the nightmare many make it out to be, ask Garmin. The navigation expert did a fantastic job of straying from its safety zone and building a good amount of hype surrounding its upcoming virgin entry into the handset game. No the handset itself isn’t revolutionary per se, but it will run Garmin’s own OS and it will surely provide one of the best mobile navigation experiences available; once it’s released that is. Initially intended to come to market in the second half of this year, Garmin has announced it will delay Nuvifone’s release until some time in 1H 2009. In a statement from Garmin, the company say it “found that meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated.” Now there’s an understatement if we’ve ever seen one. There is no word as to the specific requirements Garmin is having difficulties with meeting, nor is there any indication as to when it expects to have these issues resolved. Here’s to hoping that Garmin can sort its carrier issues sooner rather than later so we can get our hands on this 3.5 inch screen-sporting, HSDPA-rocking navigator ASAP.

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Purchasers of Nokia’s latest Eseries devices may be a bit distressed to learn that BlackBerry Connect will no longer be updated for Nokia’s S60 devices, effective immediately. Just after a recent update was issued for the latest E90 firmware Nokia made the announcement and was hardly indirect with its reasoning for the move. Nokia’s Simon Ainslie had this to say:

RIM are a competitor and have done a reasonable job in a space that is traditionally ours, so it’s no great surprise that we see this as an opportunity to give consumers a proper choice on what email solution they want.

Perhaps the most confusing part of this move is the simple fact that Nokia’s OEM email support is, well, shoddy at best. Unreliable, poorly-executed and horrible are more descriptive terms that have been tossed around from time to time. The integrated POP / IMAP support is just north of unusable. Nokia’s Mail for Exchange client historically hasn’t been much better, though the most recent client addresses many issues of the past. Mail for Exchange however, as the name might dictate, only supports Exchange email. This might be fine if you use your device strictly for work (and your company uses Exchange) but in the day and age of “convergence”, most people like to have access to personal email as well. Nokia’s recent “Nokia Email” beta does show signs of life, though slight. All this aside, if your company uses RIM’s email system and you had plans to snag an E71 instead of a BlackBerry… Think again.

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It seems like a lifetime ago that Sirius and XM first announced the intentions to merge and form a single satellite radio powerhouse. Subscribers were generally overjoyed by the possibilities; twice the content, a la carte options, the promise that current subscription rates would not increase, etc. It sounded like everyone would be a winner. There was just one problem though… Terrestrial radio and its “relationship” with the FCC. We won’t go into this mockery of government yet again, but suffice it to say that there were some pretty big hurdles that had to be ovecome. Here we are almost 18 months later however, and the merger has finally been approved! Of course there are some conditions to the $3.3 billion deal, first and foremost is the fact that the companies will have to cough up $20 million in fines to the FCC right out of the gate. These fines are a result of FCC claims that several radio models and signal-boosting towers violate FCC regulations. Ok fine, moving on. The other notable stipulation is one that we can’t say we disapprove of:

The companies must cap prices for three years after joining and allow consumers to choose the channels they want and pay less for packages of channels.

Work on a la carte-friendly radios is already underway although it sounds like despite claims made by several on-air personalities, current radio models may not be capable of receiving both Sirius and XM streams. As much of a shame as that would be, we’ll have to wait for some formal announcements before it can be confirmed or denied. Whatever the case may be, last night’s announcement was a big step forward and only time will tell how it plays out.

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It’s safe to say that up until now, Openmoko handsets have hardly received the global welcome that the company envisioned when it first began its quest to open the world of mobile phones. The odds are pretty good that you’ve read plenty about Openmoko’s Linux-based handsets; you probably even tipped your hat at the concept of a truly open handset (we know Google liked the idea). The odds are even better however, that you didn’t buy one. In fact outside of an expo you’ve probably never even seen one in person. All that might just change soon, or so Openmoko hopes, as it has just signed a deal with Canada-based Koolu which will take on the task of worldwide Neo FreeRunner distribution.

Koolu, known for its innovations in easy-to-use services such as Google Apps and Skype, will distribute the Openmoko Neo FreeRunner phone first to developers, and later to consumers as Google Apps go mobile. Koolu has created a program unique in the industry by offering free Neo FreeRunner phones in a referral program for Google Apps world-wide.

Kuloo’s long terms plans for Openmoko handsets are pretty intense in fact. As part of an ecofriendly push, Kuloo plans to integrate a laser-projected virtual keyboard and an LED projector into future handsets in order to create a portable computer that drastically reduces E waste and carbon footpront. Check out a mockup of its vision after the jump.

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This one seems a bit weird, but generally reputable sources are claiming that Google is in talks to acquire news site Digg for a sum of $200 million. While neither Google nor Digg has released anything resembling a public comment on the matter, word on the street is that talks have progressed to the final negotiation stage, which could mean that a takeover announcement is imminent. If this goes through, Digg would presumably be enveloped by Google News, adding some level of user interaction to the news service. Would Google News benefit from a Digg-style ranking system? Would it ruin a now-reputable source of information? Rumors have been running wild about this for a while now. Let us know what you think!

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As the economy continues to decline and unemployment rates continue to rise, now is a tough time for everyone. Particularly tough perhaps, if a big part of your business involves selling luxury items like HDTVs. In times of economic crisis people most often forgo big ticket items such as plasma and LCD TVs and opt to spend their money on, say, food and fuel. If you’re not one of the unlucky Americans hit hard by the current state of the union however, you might as well take advantage of some serious and wide-spread price dropping. The HDTV price cuts are manufacturer-instigated in most cases so the result will impact retailers across the country. While these new prices at major retailers still might not be the lowest you’ll find on the internet, it’s safe to assume eventually the price drops will be reflected in non-brick and mortar pricing as well. If things like a warranty and knowing for a fact that you won’t be screwed by some shady fly by night website, we say stick to the major shops and enjoy these cuts that bring most price points down to at least near-internet levels. Hit the read link to check out the full list of price drops, which includes 30 different HDTV models. The new pricing ranges from $100 off to $500 off; even up to $700 off taking a few new Best Buy sales into account.

[Via Unplggd]

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Of course it was only a matter of time before Jobs sicked the hounds on the small and storied Florida company Psystar. Sure, you’ve read plenty about them and a select few of you may have even worked up the, err, moxie to order up one of their “Open Computers”. The idea behind the company is relatively simple: Sell cheap computers. What set Psystar apart, aside form the initial sketchiness, is the fact that they brazenly advertise the fact that they will ship your Open Computer complete with Apple’s OS X Leopard preinstalled. Sure it sounds cool, a well-equipped computer packing Leopard for as little as $555, but there’s one tiny problem… It’s probably against the law. Apple filed suit against Psystar on July 3rd of this year and alleged that Psystar violated its shrink wrap license policy. More importantly, Apple’s suit also alleged trademark and copyright infringement. Ouch. If Psystar’s game plan was to get while the gettin’ was good, make a quick buck and then high-tail it out of town, game on. If the small company plans to fight Apple on this however, we have a feeling a world of hurt is coming Psystar’s way.

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This morning Apple press released the fact that the one millionth iPhone 3G was sold on Sunday. One million, hmm. This is a pretty big number indeed and it certainly is quite an amazing feat. If we stop to think for a moment, was this really an accomplishment that Apple should be bragging about? According to Apple dictator Steve Jobs, it took 74 days to sell the first million units when the gen1 iPhone was released so clearly the iPhone 3G is selling faster. About a year ago however, Apple and AT&T combined to push a reported 700,000 first generation iPhones during its premier weekend. Oh by the way, the original iPhone was launched in the US only. Also if you recall, last year the iPhone was released at 6:00 pm as opposed to the iPhone 3G which was made available at 8:00 am this past Friday. Let’s look at the reported numbers side by side:

• 2007: iPhone launches Friday evening in the US only, sells around 700,000 units by COB Sunday
• 2008: iPhone 3G launches Friday morning in 21 countries, sells 1,000,000 units by COB Sunday

So basically Apple launched the iPhone 3G in 20 additional countries this time around, added about 12 daytime hours to their ‘opening weekend’ and saw a total approximate sales boost of only around 43%. Hmm. Some might say that’s not so great. No, it’s not an “epic fail” but these numbers are nowhere near impressive when compared to last year considering the hype and additional global availability of the iPhone 3G. Clearly activation difficulties made a huge dent in this weekend’s sales and we wouldn’t be surprised if these numbers are well below Apple’s internal projections.

UPDATE: Sorry, fellas. We had wrong numbers for the 2007 launch. Apple sold around 250,000 units in the launch weekend last year.

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BlackBerry fans here in the US will be happy to learn that the BlackBerry 9000 aka Bold has just passed through the FCC testing process and received its approval. It has been quite a ride with the Bold dating back to October when we first broke it and even further back to January 2007 when we started telling you about the 90xx series. Now we’re likely just over a month away from a release and the only remaining question is whether or not people are still excited about it. Sure we all already know the specs but a quick highlight recap:

• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100) with HSDPA support
• WiFi
• 480 x 320 pixel display
• New UI including full-HTML browser
• 1500 mAh battery

So there you have it. We’re closer than ever to a release; which by the way should happen on AT&T in mid August according to our sources. We’re almost there people - think it’ll warrant any iPhone-esque lines at AT&T stores?

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Microsoft is a company that takes a lot of heat from the public. Sure the Northwest giant may have made some tiny mistakes in the past, but it really does have its customers’ best interest at heart! Take the security update Microsoft issued earlier this week. If you think about it, Tuesday’s KB951748 security update is the most secure patch Microsoft has ever issued in its long and storied history. What’s the best way to ensure that Windows 2000 / XP users don’t come across any malicious code on the web or in their email? Kill their internet connection. Brilliant! Of course there is the slight chance that this end result wasn’t Microsoft’s intention. Perhaps they were merely trying to address the DNS issue discovered a few months ago and reported at length, and they screwed the pooch. The problem might just be that Microsoft has never heard of a little software firewall called ZoneAlarm. We can’t blame them though; it is after all, the most popular software firewall in the world. Countless Windows 2000 and XP users ran into quite a problem between Tuesday and today when a conflict between Microsoft’s security update and the popular firewall software resulted in the inability to access the internet. Mmm. Greatest line ever:

A spokesman for Microsoft said PC owners were not contacting it about any problems the update caused.

Hmm, perhaps that’s because they can’t get on the internet to contact you! After all, no one is dumb enough to try to call Microsoft Support anymore. Luckily CheckPoint has issued an update for ZoneAlarm already so Microsoft need not worry about cleaning up its mess. Note that PC users with the free version of ZoneAlarm may have to download and install the latest build manually. So what’s the deal Microsoft? Bill retires and the whole place goes to, umm, poop?

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In terms of consumer electronics, Apple is certainly one of the most watched companies when it comes to product design. From desktop units and laptops to MP3 players and now mobile phones; Apple’s designs are consistently sleek and wow-worthy. This morning it has been reported that El Jobso has officially found himself a new head of Apple’s product design team. So who is the new man of the hour over in Cupertino? None other than Mr. Doug Field, best known perhaps for leading the engineering team behind the Segway. Savior to warehouse pickers, overweight mall security guards and Shaq, the Segway is the personal transportation device that most will remember as never having lived up to the hype. Not even close. It is quite the design specimen though and has garnered all sorts of media attention. At Apple, Field will assume the role of Vice President of Product Design and it remains to be seen how Field will mesh with the rest of the design team at Apple. Field clearly has his work cut out for him though - it will be interesting to see how he fares when working on products that the public will actually use. Of note, here is a quote from Steve Jobs in 2003 with regards to the industrial design of the Segway:

“I think it sucks. Its shape is not innovative, it’s not elegant and it doesn’t feel anthropomorphic.”

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This morning Nokia announced a major victory in its fight to become a digital music retailer. Warner Music Group, one of the biggest record labels in the industry, has signed on as a content provider for Nokia’s still-unfolding ‘Comes With Music’ offering. We have discussed Comes With Music a few times here on BGR but the concept in a nutshell is that Nokia is building a mobile music service. The mobile music store has already launched in several regions and Comes With Music would grant purchasers of certain handsets a year of all-you-can-eat free music downloads from said store. Nokia has stated that Comes With Music will launch in the second half of this year but the all-knowing interweb has had mixed feelings about the potential of the offering. We think that if Nokia can be a bit more forward-thinking and throw some technology advancements into the mix they could really have a winner on their hands. As it stands now however, we’re not sure we’ve seen enough innovation to really make Nokia’s offering stand out. Playing catch-up just isn’t going to cut it in this day and age so hopefully Nokia has a few surprises waiting for us at the launch.

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Sure, you probably want to put Chad and his wizard friend through a wall just like us, but it’s hard to deny that Alltel has a pretty solid wireless offering. Its My Circle calling feature in fact is likely one of the most attractive plan enhancements on the market here in the US. Now Alltel has upped the ante with the addition of My Circle messaging packs that can be added to any My Circle plan. My Circle messaging is indeed exactly what you would imagine is; unlimited SMS and MMS messaging to anyone in your circle. There are two flavors of My Circle messaging packs available. The first is $7.99 and includes an additional 400 SMS / MMS per month for people outside of your Circle and the second is $12.99 while includes 1,000 SMS / MMS. Beyond these new additions, Alltel still offers unlimited messaging and mobile web for $20 per month. Chief Marketing Officer Frank O’Mara’s snippet:

Alltel’s ‘My Circle’ provides customers the ultimate in choice and value by giving them the ability to call or text any five, 10 or 20 numbers. Whether talking or texting, our new “My Circle” message packs provide customers the most cost-effective plans for staying in touch with friends, families and business associates.

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While the popularity of torrents has shown no signs of dwindling any time soon, the MPAA-fueled case against EliteTorrents just saw its first conviction. Back in 2005, Homeland Security agents served search warrants in various locations around the country as part of “Operation D-Elite” that resulted in 10 arrests. What a fantastic use of the country’s counterterrorism resources. Now more than three years later Clintwood Virginia resident Dale Dove has been convicted of felony copyright infringement and conspiracy, and has become the first man to be convicted as a result of the case. According to prosecutors of the case, Dove was the ringleader in the group of pirated content suppliers that was EliteTorrents. Dove apparently maintained a server of his own and played a part in recruiting others to supply content and servers. While Dove represents the first conviction in this case, he will not be the first to serve time as a result. In 2006, EliteTorrents server administrator Scott McCausland pleaded guilty to two copyright-related charges tied to the distribution of Star Wars: Episode III and served five months in jail plus an addition five months of house arrest (during which has wasn’t allowed to use Linux). Dove’s sentencing will take place in September; good luck buddy.

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If you haven’t heard by now — Virgin Mobile is acquiring Helio for $39M — you’re really living under something… In any case, what’s going to happen to Helio’s 170,000 subscribers? Well, we’ve go a hold of an internal Helio Q&A which answers some of those concerns. A couple highlights? Helio subscribers service will not be interrupted, Helio, believe it or not, is still accepting new activations, and the Helio brand will be dissolved into Virgin Mobile over time. The whole thing is after the jump.

Thanks, Ryan P.!

HELIO + Virgin Mobile USA= J

Two great companies team up to bring you more.

HELIO and Virgin Mobile USA are teaming up to combine our strengths and deliver a better mobile experience. On June 27th Virgin Mobile USA announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire HELIO.

HELIO would gain access to Virgin Mobile USA’s extensive distribution network and broad customer base, while Virgin Mobile USA would gain access to HELIO’s exclusive, high-end devices and premium services.  Both companies look forward to coming together to bring exciting prepaid and postpaid opportunities to their customers.

Q: What does this mean for current HELIO members? Can I still use my HELIO device, while keeping my HELIO service plan and number?

A: Current service plans will continue without interruption. HELIO members are at the center of this transaction and we’ll continue to bring them the innovative mobile services they’ve come to expect.

Q: Can new members still sign up for HELIO service?

A: Absolutely. HELIO will continue to offer exclusive, high-end devices and our innovative All-In plans.

Q: Will the HELIO brand be retained, or will everything migrate to Virgin Mobile USA?

A: Over time, we expect that all aspects of the customer experience will be integrated under the Virgin Mobile USA brand.  Integration of the direct sales channel will begin immediately, and we expect that existing HELIO products and services will soon be offered through the Virgin Mobile USA website at www.virginmobileusa.com.

Q: So what’s next?

A: We’re excited by the possibilities our new, combined team offers. We have some big ideas, but as you can imagine, a little bit of housekeeping is in order before we share them. Stay tuned!

Q: Does this affect my current contract with HELIO in any way? When Virgin Mobile USA does acquire HELIO, can I end my current contract without paying an early termination fee (ETF)?

A: HELIO contracts remain in effect and unchanged by this transaction. HELIO members who wish to end their contract early will still be subject to an early termination fee (ETF).

Nicholas Woodhams, also known as the iPod Mechanic, is in a world of hurt. The Michigan man has made it his business to repair Apple iPods and other Apple products; not a bad idea since they do tend to break quite often. From what we understand Woodhams has done quite well for himself picking up the pieces with regards to iPod users’ woes. Apparently a bit too well, as he popped up on Apple’s radar several years ago and it was none too happy that the iPod name was being used in vain. Apple and Woodhams butted heads in 2006 and struck a deal whereby Woodhams would phase out the “iPod Mechanic” name by January 2007. Here we are a year and a half later and he has done no such thing. In fact, he even pokes some fun at Apple on his site with an “iPod Deathclock” where visitors can input their iPod serial numbers and usage habits to learn the approximate death date of their iPod. Clearly Woodhams was asleep when God handed down the eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not mess with Apple. The iPod moniker may be the least of Woodhams’ worries however, as Apple’s suit also alleges that he committed fraud in a number of ways. One such accusation, that Woodhams switched the back covers on out-of-warranty iPods in order to have Apple repair them under warranty. Hey, it was fun while it lasted…

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While sales figures were wisely omitted from Sprint’s press release, it has announced today that the Samsung Instinct is the fastest-selling EVDO-equipped handset Sprint has ever offered. Apparently the Instinct is so desirable in fact, that many Sprint locations have run out of stock. All things considered it is a nice handset supporting just about every service Sprint has to offer. The nice big touchscreen, and familiar form factor don’t hurt either. John Garcia, President of Sprint’s Wireless Division had this to say:

“We had high expectations going into the launch so our initial order to Samsung was the largest for any Sprint EVDO handset to date. The strong early response tells us that wireless customers recognize Instinct as a highly-innovative and convenient touch-screen device combined with the fast speeds available on the largest national mobile broadband network. In the first few days of availability, many Instinct devices were purchased by existing customers upgrading their wireless device - we thank our customers for their endorsement of this device, our Simply Everything pricing plan and our company.”

So what exactly do the Instinct’s record sales tell us? People bound to Sprint wish they could get an iPhone.

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Ahh FP2. There’s no question that there’s plenty that Nokia’s latest flavor of S60 doesn’t address, but there’s also plenty it does address. Remember the SSU functionality we just spoke about in our post on Diablo? Well it’s not just for Tablets! Feature Pack 2 brings with it Seamless Software Updating (SSU) that allows users to update pieces of the operating system without the need for a full flash. What does this mean for N78 owners? It means you can update your firmware without losing your data! This initial OTA update is a minor release but we ran the update earlier and confirm that it went perfectly with no data loss whatsoever. Firmware version 11.043 change log highlights:

• Improved Bluetooth stability
• Improved Music Player stability
• Improved Camera performance
• Naviscroll performance tweaks

The only other thing we’ve noticed so far is that the maximum display brightness has been turned down a few clicks. We liked the bright display but the simple fact that we’ve now confirmed lossless software updating works is more than enough reason to go through with it.

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Yesterday was a big day for Nokia Internet Tablet owners. The N810 and N800 each got a firmware update codenamed “Diablo” and while some refer to it as a minor release, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Why? Let’s look at the change log highlights:

• SSU (seamless software updating) enabling components of the OS to be updated without having to flash/rewrite the entire operating system
• Over-the-air (OTA) updates via Wi-Fi and WiMax connections
• Update of the email client to Modest with several enhancements to the user interface and additional support of several mobile-friendly email features
• Addition of Chinese fonts to the system font list
• Miscellaneous bug fixes to OpenSSL
• Browser panning fixes
• Support for A-GPS in the N810 and N810WE
• Wayfinder GPS application updates
• Additional unspecified features

The first two entries are key. A huge annoyance with both S60 and Internet Tablet devices is the update procedure. In short, all data is lost. Backing up and restoring rarely goes smoothly and even on the rare occasion it does, it’s still time consuming and bothersome. Seamless software updating and automatic OTA application updates mean that everything - from firmware to installed apps - will be easily and seamlessly updated as new versions become available. Update your firmware without losing personal data and files; update your apps automatically over the air as soon as new versions become available. Good stuff indeed.

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Oooooh Android. Things are not going well for you lately. First the Wall Street Journal reports that your release has been delayed and now Symbian, the most popular Smartphone Operating System in the world, will be opening up. Open?!? That was totally your thing! Well maybe not It’s ok, don’t worry; you’ve still got the Google juice going for you. Nokia has made a few major announcements this morning with regards to the heavyweight title holder that is Symbian. First and foremost, 48% ownership is not going to cut it anymore. Nokia will soon pony up €264 million ($412 million at today’s exchange rate) for the remaining 52% of Symbian to become the sole owner. Then what? Nokia has also announced the formation of a new organization: the Symbian Foundation. Foundation members currently include AT&T (huh?), LG Electronics, Motorola, NTT DOCOMO, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Vodafone, and more. The foundation will be the backbone of efforts with regards to creating “the most proven, open and complete mobile software platform - available for free”. The acquisition of Symbian is expected to be completed in Q4 of this year and it will likely be at least another year or so before we see the tree bear some fruit. We can’t wait.

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Remember back when being a part of mainstream media meant something? Respect, dignity, hard work, research, fact checking, deadlines and so on. Ahh those were the days, but my how times have changed; especially when it comes to the cell phone industry. They just don’t get it. Kind of makes you wonder what else they’re missing, no? Anyway, we’re now quite pleased to present to you the iPhone G3. Mmm. Found within a TIME Magazine photo essay entitled The Long Odyssey of the Cell Phone, the iPhone G3 is apparently a very important part of mobile history. Quite a retrospective. We’re also very impressed with the fact that TIME recognizes the long and storied journey that mobile technology has taken - so much so that it has been captured in a total of 14 slides. Good show fellas, top drawer.

[Via TumblOlly]

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Welcome to the future that should have been here years ago. Why airlines haven’t been doing this for years is beyond us but kudos to those who have finally started to get moving. Delta is by no means the first airline to play with the idea of mobiles to be used as boarding passes, but it has caught on. Starting with domestic flights at LaGuardia, Delta’s handset boarding pass trial is already launched and we can only hope that the practice spreads sooner rather than later. Delta passengers can now go to the company’s website on their mobile devices and download a digital boarding pass directly. The TSA can then scan the digital bar codes contained within the passes and no physical printout is required. The concept is forward-thinking in several respects. First of all, it makes travel easier; there is no longer a need need to print anything out and no more frantic searching through carry ons to find misplaced documentation. Secondly, it’s good for the environment of course. Digital passes mean less paper being printed and wasted. Honestly, who recycles their boarding passes? Good stuff Delta, now if we can only work on those delays…

[Via IntoMobile]

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Well, Firefox Download Day was nothing if not eventful. First and foremost, Mozilla appears to have succeeded in breaking the Guinness World Record for most software downloads in a 24-hour period as well as surpassing its lofty 5 million-download target for the the day. Not everything was rainbows and butterflies for Mozilla however. The first two hours were rough, very rough in fact. Apparently Mozilla underestimated the initial punch and just didn’t have the goods to support the first wave of anxious downloaders. BGR reader comments on our Download Day post covered the outage quite eloquently:

I have 3.0 RC3 and I like it, I was just going to attempt to get 3.0 release just for the world record, but it seems somebody really F-ed up. -MadMike

I’m not sure what record they are trying to set, but at the very least they’ll set the “most http request failed page refreshes”, the “most unsuccessful downloads”, and the “most feet ever swallowed” records hands down. -Paul

FF DOWNLOAD DAY = EPIC FAIL -poser

Despite all that, Mozilla servers shook off the criticism and came back just before 3:00 pm; about two hours after Download Day officially started. Would Mozilla be able to bounce back after the outage? Over 8 million downloads say yes. When all was said and done, it looks like Firefox Download Day will indeed result in a new world record. What’s more, the Mozilla network served over 83 terabytes of data during the 24-hour period and peaked at about 17,000 downloads per minute. Wow.

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In a move that will hopefully encourage rampant film piracy, looting, and general anarchy, YouTube has begun removing their existing 10-minute video length limit for select publishing partners. The company sent out an official memo stating that they will be offering a new 2 hour/1GB file limit for anyone with a sanctioned presence on the site. We’re guessing this is a defensive move, aimed at countering offerings from competitors such as Hulu. By partnering with corporate publishers, YouTube will also be able to explore embedded advertising revenue streams, which should help them generate a bit more cash. It will be interesting to see if any significant partners jump at this opportunity, given YouTube’s stigma as a “low-budget short-format grainy-quality” powerhouse.

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Just in time for the arrival of the Samsung Instinct, Sprint is preparing to unleash a new set of plans on an unsuspecting public. Starting June 15th, the carrier will be making a number of significant changes. The full rundown is detailed below, but expect new single-user lines starting at $39 for 450 minutes, no more free incoming plans, and the end of separate pricing structures for Sprint and Nextel handsets. The ever-exploitable SERO plan remains ripe for the picking, but will sadly not be compatible with the upcoming Instinct. Check out the full list of changes:

• There will no longer be separate CDMA (Sprint) and iDen (Nextel) plans
• Power Pack and Free Incoming plans are gonzo
• Users can mix and match CDMA and iDen on the same plans (before you had to have separate accounts)
• Single user lines start at 450 or 900 min for $39 and $59 respectively
• Talk/Message/Connect gives unlimited messaging and Direct Connect (Walkie Talkie) but no data - $49.99 for 450 minutes, $69.99 for 900 minute or $89.99 for unlimited.
• Everything Plans (include messaging and data) - $69 for 450 minutes, $89 for 900 minutes or $99 for unlimited minutes
• Unlimited plans include navigation, TV and Direct Connect
• Smartphone MUST be activated on a talk plan with a Vision Pro pack ($30) - or on an Everything plan
• Share plans (aka Talk Share) start at $69.99 for two lines with 700 minutes - add a phone is $9.99 per to a max of 5 total phones on the line
• The Talk/Message Share plans run $99.99 and $149.99 for 1500 and 3000 minutes and unlimited messaging, additional lines are also $9.99. Finally, the Talk/Message/Data Share plans run $129.99 or $169.99 for 1500 and 3000 minutes, unlimited messaging and data. Besides browsing, these plans include Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV and Sprint Radio. Additional lines can be added for $19.99 apiece.

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