Looking to save some coin on those international calls to your mates in Brussels? Vonage has just rolled out new Android and iOS apps that do just that. The Vonage Mobile app offers free talk and text for corresponding with fellow app users worldwide by way of WiFi or data connection. Need to update app-less Auntie Em while backpacking through the Swiss Alps? The outfit says it’ll save you 70% over major carriers and costs 30% less than Skype. For calls to folks without the app, users can add calling credit in either $4.99 or $9.99 increments right from the iTunes store or Android Market. The software also makes use of your existing number and extensive list of contacts without the need to create another username. Right now, calls to any phone in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico are free from the app for a limited time — so long as you stay under 3000 minutes per month, of course. Hit the source link for more information before heading to your app repository to snag the free download.

SOURCE via Vonage Mobile

Xappr and appBlaster are fine weaponizers for your smartphone, provided you don’t care to share your violent tendencies with your friends. Thankfully, Hasbro is bridging the gap between new-school AR shooter and that teenage classic — laser tag. The NERF Lazer Tag system is getting an update for 2012 that lets you pair your blaster with an iPhone or iPod touch. The top of the plastic guns now sport a slot for your iDevice which, when loaded with the Lazer Tag app, provides you with an augmented HUD view. While you can play against purely virtual opponents, the real fun is in using to track your battles with fleshy foes. The app will display your gear and power level, and update your progress on a global Lazer Tag leaderboard. As you play, new attacks and gear will be unlocked for you to enhance your gaming experience. The app will even actually show your blasts’ trajectory, letting you see exactly where you shot your former friend. The 2012 edition of Lazer Tag will hit shelves on August 1st with individual blasters costing $40 and sets of two at $70.

Want to print stuff from your iPad, but hate drivers and cords and stuff? Good news, Canon’s offering up the Pixma MX512 and MX432, two all-in-one inkjets that offer up Apple AirPrint support, letting users wirelessly prints photos, docs and the like from their iPad, iPhone and iPod touches running iOS 4.2 or later. Canon also used the announcement to reaffirm its commitment to the technology, ensuring as before that it “will be available with the majority of Canon PIXMA Wireless All-In-One inkjet printers launched from this point forward.”

SOURCE via Canon

New details have emerged about the ongoing Apple-Motorola drama in Germany, courtesy of a court document uncovered by FOSS Patents. The two companies have been engaged in a patent battle of swelling proportion these past few months, with the most recent wrinkle unfolding on Friday, when Apple promptly removed (and returned) its 3G / UMTS-enabled iPads and iPhone 4s from its online German store, in response to a court ruling. At issue in this particular case is a Motorola patent that Apple wants to use under FRAND obligations, but Moto apparently isn’t willing to license its technology for free.

According to a court filing, the handset maker is asking for 2.25 percent of Apple sales in return for the license, though it remains unclear whether this pertains to sales of all products or, more likely, the 3G-enabled devices under consideration in court. Either way, though, Motorola would stand to see quite a bit of extra revenue, especially considering that Apple’s iPhone sales have totaled about $93 billion since 2007.

Under Motorola’s request, the company would have made about $2.1 billion from these sales alone — not to mention the payments it’d see from iPad sales, as well. Apple, meanwhile, has filed motions to access Motorola’s licensing agreements with Nokia, HTC and other manufacturers, in the hopes of exposing a double standard.

SOURCE via TUAW

In a bid to keep iPhones sold in Hong Kong on the island nation, Apple has reintroduced reserve and pick up pages for the smartphones. The difference this time around is the inclusion of the customer’s Hong Kong identity card number within the registration form, which goes live between 9am and 12pm each day. The aim is put breaks on the speculative smartphone buyers picking up several devices to mule across to mainland China. You’ll still need a bit of luck; Apple performs a random draw each day for those that registered, and ‘winners’ are informed via email. Each card can apparently buy a limited quantity of the in-demand phone — one that’s getting some smartphone obsessives a little too hot under the collar.

SOURCE via Apple

Nielsen crunched Q4 numbers today, and the results will likely have Apple analysts jumping up and down. The findings, focused on those who’ve purchased a smartphone within the previous three months, indicate a huge spike — from 25 percent in October to 45 percent in December — in iPhone purchases since October as an obvious result of the launch of the 4S. Conversely, the number of recent Android buyers fell by 14 percent in the same period. Of course, these numbers are directly affected by Apple’s latest product launch and by no means should be any indicator that Apple is poised to win the battle against its bitter rival, as iOS continues to trail Android by over 16 percent in market share. Looking at the war for the third spot, RIM’s US market share declined by 2.9 percent from Q3 to Q4, falling to 14.9 percent — not a surprise, since it only captured the hearts of six percent of recent buyers this quarter — and Windows Phone slightly increased from 1.2 to 1.3 percent.

SOURCE via Nielsen

Some hot music tech for iDevices already dropped at CES, but the product announcement concerto plays on. The next act? The iConnectMUSE digital audio mixer from iConnectivity, featuring six stereo in / outs, headphone out, two USB ports, a “hub-able” USB host, Ethernet / network sharing and MIDI pass-thru. Maker iConnectivity claims studio-grade analog-to-digital conversion will make it a snap to record professional sounding mixes on tour, back at the hotel or even at home. Your garage band can get mixing from Q2 and iConnectivity is asking $230 for the privilege.

Read more…

If you’re still rockin’ an ancient iPhone or iPod Touch and are fed up with friends teasing you at every chance with their new-style multitasking and reminder features, we’ve got some good news for you. A new software, dubbed Whited00r, will let you install portions of iOS 5 on the first two generations of the iPod Touch, iPhone 3G and even your O.G. iPhone. Whited00r accomplishes this by simply acting as a custom firmware — à la CyanogenMod 9 on Android handsets. There are, however, a few traits that devs haven’t been able to mimic, which include core services like the App Store (though, you can install apps via iTunes on your home machine), Notification Center and iCloud. So, for those of you clinging to your outdated hardware while you wait for the “next big thing,” you can at least freshen up its features (at your own risk) with a coat of whitewash at the source below.

SOURCE via whited00r

No Apple product launch is complete without long lines, frustration and utter exhaustion. Unfortunately, the arrival of the iPhone 4S has escalated this reality to a new level in China. We’re now reading reports of fights breaking out between competing gangs of scalpers in the country, each hoping to get their hands on large quantities of Cupertino’s latest smartphone. The conflicts have been significant enough to attract the attention of Chinese police, and we now hear that the Apple Store in Beijing is keeping its doors locked in attempt to make the crowds leave. While we’ve yet hear of any significant injuries, it seems the company’s storefront is now coated with plenty of eggs. If you’re interested to keep track of the unfortunate situation, you’ll find more coverage below and a video after the break. Read more…

Voxx International (formerly known as Audiovox) has a habit of making a splash at CES, and this year has been no different. Today, the company’s Acoustic Research subsidiary announced a pair of audio docks: the AirPlay Audio System (ARAP50) and the Bluetooth Wireless Audio System (ARS70). With the former, users will be able to wirelessly stream playlists from their iDevices simply by plugging the system into any old 12-volt outlet and linking it up to a wireless network. The Bluetooth variety, meanwhile, offers essentially the same capabilities for the rest of the smartphone universe, including owners of Bluetooth-equipped Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices. Details on specs remain frustratingly vague, but we’ll probably find out more this Spring, when both systems are slated to hit the market. The AirPlay Audio System will retail for $200, while the Bluetooth Wireless Audio System will cost you $130.