The Yahoo Giveaway USB Hub We Want

How about an invite to your next event, Yahoo?

Reader "Peachy-Pie" sent in some snapshots of a giveaway she received from a recent Yahoo event. While she forgot to tell us what the event was about, her pictures of theYahoo building block USB hub are pretty awesome.

She even went through the effort of building the Yahoo logo from the pieces:

We're assuming the hub above conforms to the USB 2.0 standard. On the side are an operation light, a miniUSB port for connecting to another hub or a computer, and a DC port for additional power if needed.

No Porn for Windows Phone 7 Users Either

The App Store is pretty stringent when it comes to the "no boobies" rule and it looks like Microsoft is following suit with Windows Phone 7.

Apple made a huge splash when it pulled porn from the App Store. Whether folks were annoyed about the inconsistency (some apps were pulled while others were allowed to stay), or the fact that they just wanted to see some iBoobs,  there was plenty of annoyed iPhone users and developers.

Maybe that's why Microsoft decided to make things clear from the word go; Ars Technica reports that among the Marketplace rules announced earlier this week is a strict no porn policy. Microsoft's app requirement say no application containing porn or even sexually suggestive content will be allowed.

Adobe veröffentlicht Flash 10.1 und AIR 2.0

Zeitgleich hat Adobe heute die finalen Versionen von Flash-Players 10.1 und AIR 2.0 veröffentlicht.

Nach insgesamt sieben Release Candidates hat Adobe heute die finale Version des Flash Players 10.1 für Windows, Linux und Max OS X zum Download freigegeben. Zentrale Verbesserung ist die Hardwarebeschleunigung für in Flash eingebettete H.264-Videos. Diese gibt es allerdings vorerst nur unter Windows. Auf Apple-Systemen muss man eine Vorabversion, die "Gala Preview", herunterladen und installieren, um in den Genuss dieses Features zu kommen. Der Gala Player nutzt das vor kurzem von Appleveröffentlichte Video Decode Acceleration Framework.

Die neue Version des Flash Players beinhaltet die Laufzeitumgebung des Open Screen Projects, womit er eigentlich auch auf modernen Smartphones laufen soll. Bislang existiert aber nur eine Betaversion für Android 2.2 (Codename Froyo), das wiederum derzeit nur auf Googles eigenem Nexus One im Einsatz ist. Weitere Neuerungen sind Multitouch-Erkennung mit Gestensteuerung, Multicast und Adobes HTTP-Streaming. Außerdem soll der Flash Player jetzt auch berücksichtigen, wenn der Nutzer den Private-Browsing-Modus nutzt. Dann werden Flash Cookies nur temporär gespeichert und nach Beenden der Session gelöscht. Diese Version behebt übrigens auch die kürzlich gemeldete Sicherheitslücke im Flash-Player 10.x.

Auch AIR 2.0 ist heute erschienen. Die plattformübergreifende Desktop Laufzeitumgebung stellt Webtechniken wie Flash und Flex und auch HTML mit JavaScript zur Verfügung, um damit Rich Clients für den Desktop zu entwickeln. Ein Beispiel dafür ist der Twitter-Client TweetDeck. Auch Multiplayer Spiele lassen sich damit realisieren. Adobe verspricht, dass die neue Version von AIR bis zu 30 Prozent weniger Speicher verbrauchen und gleichzeitig schneller laufen soll. Mehr über AIR kann man auf der Produktseiteerfahren.

2 GHz Motorola Android Phone May Arrive in Q4

Motorola is upping the ante with a 2 GHz Android smartphone slated for Q4 2010.

Is Motorola wanting a little piece of the Apple? Just days after Steve Jobs finally revealed the spoiled surprise known as iPhone 4, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said that the company plans to release an Android smartphone with a 2 GHz processor by the end of the year.

The revelation came Thursday at the Executives Club of Chicago while he talked about the future of the mobile landscape, and how mobile computers may eventually give way to highly-capable smartphones. Unfortunately, Jha didn't elaborate more on the 2 GHz device.

However another unnamed Motorola executive added that the device will incorporate everything that is technologically possible in a smartphone today. The processor itself is supposedly an evolutionary step above the current 1 GHz Snapdragon chip. The phone itself will incorporate a gyroscope, and a Nvidia Tegra-based graphic processor (with full Flash 10.1 hardware acceleration). 

As for the screen and overall resolution, the 2 GHz device is expected to feature 720p output (finally!), an "HD screen resolution," and a built-in camera with a resolution greater than 5 megapixels.

Given Motorola's track record with Android-based devices, the upcoming super-charged device will likely land on Verizon Wireless, possibly during the holiday season as seen with the Motorola Droid. This date would also give Motorola enough time to take notes from Apple's current mobile phone and incorporate features that will raise the ante until the next iPhone revision.

T-Mobile: All Phones Free on June 19

FREE! FREE! FREE!

Sprint just launched the hugely successful EVO 4G and AT&T will soon reap the benefits of a brand new iPhone. Not to be left out in the cold, T-Mobile is planning a one day only free-for-all in an attempt to nab itself some customers.

TMONews reports that the company's big event that it has been planning is actually a day where T-Mobile stores will give every phone away for free. The site has gotten its hands on the script for a T-Mobile commercial promoting the monster Father's Day sale. The HTC HD2, BlackBerrys, the newly launched Garmin phone, you name it, it's free.

However, there is a catch. According to the script, the deal only applies if you're switching to a family plan. Nothing is completely solid yet, but with Father's Day only a few weeks away, it looks like T-Mobile is solidifying it's plans for "the mother of all Father's Day sales."