YMax has sold 5 million magicJacks

The company behind the magicJack, the cheap Internet phone gadget that’s been heavily promoted on TV, has made a new version of the device that allows free calls from cell phones in the home, in a fashion that’s sure to draw protest from cellular carriers.

The new magicJack uses, without permission, radio frequencies for which cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for exclusive licenses.

YMax Corp., which is based in Palm Beach, Fla., said this week at the International Consumers Electronics Show that it plans to start selling the device in about four months for $40, the same price as the original magicJack. As before, it will provide free calls to the U.S. and Canada for one year.

The device is, in essence, a very small cellular tower for the home.

The size of a deck of cards, it plugs into Read more

Cellphones and Alzheimers !

A study in mice suggests using cellphones may help prevent some of the brain-wasting effects of Alzheimer’s disease, US researchers said on Wednesday.

After long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves such as those used in cell phones, mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s performed as well on memory and thinking skill tests as healthy mice, the researchers wrote in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The results were a major surprise and open the possibility of developing a noninvasive, drug-free treatment for Alzheimer’s, said lead author Gary Arendash of the University of South Florida.

He said he had expected cell phone exposure to increase the effects of dementia. Read more

iPhones and new virus

Hackers have built a virus that attacks Apple Inc’s iPhone by secretly taking control of the devices via their Internet connections, security experts said.

The virus has been detected in the Netherlands and can only attack iPhones whose users have disabled some pre-installed security features, according to analysts monitoring the progress of the virus.

The hackers are trying to use the virus to obtain passwords to banking sites, according to Graham Cluley, a researcher with anti-virus software maker Sophos. When an iPhone user tries to access a bank website, the Duh Worm directs the browser to a look-a-like site controlled by the hackers, Cluley said.

A spokeswoman for ING Group said the Dutch banking giant discovered a criminal network that attempted to steal banking credentials via hacked iPhones. Dutch clients of ING have been targeted, but there was no indication that clients outside the Netherlands have to worry, she said. Read more

This symptoms of compulsive for hoarding.

People who have a compulsive urge to collect and clutter their homes with junk can partly attribute their problem to genes, according to a British study.

Researchers from King’s College London used a twin study to find that genetic predisposition explained a large amount of the risk for compulsive hoarding — a mental health problem in which people have an overwhelming desire to accumulate items normally considered useless, like old newspapers or junk mail.

Of the more than 5,000 twins in the study, roughly 2 percent showed symptoms of compulsive hoarding and genes appeared to account for half of the variance in risk.

Researcher Dr. David Mataix-Cols said it has long been known that compulsive hoarding tends to run in families.

But he told Reuters Health that what has not been clear is whether that pattern is due to genes or to something in the home environment, like parenting practices. Read more

BlackBerry 9630 Niagara.

BlackBerry 9630 Niagara,
the upcoming RIM’s smartphone, has got some images leaked before its official release. Here are some comparison images and a video of the Niagara by CrackBerry.
The physical dimensions of the 9630 Niagara fall between the 8900 and the Bold. The design of the Niagara also borrows some from of the current models. Under the hood, the Niagara has the processor and the radios that match what the Storm has, and it also features a 3.2 megapixel camera. The Niagara has size smaller than the bold, Read more

Mobile phone – compare models !

The Apple iPhone redefined a mobile device, bringing HTML, e-mail, and apps to smartphones. But after 18 months, the iPhone faces its first real competitors. Apple’s issues with its 2.x software update, developer complaints over its highly controlled environment, and so-so enterprise support all give the competition an opening.
All the mobile 2.0 competitors support 3G networks, touch interfaces, accelerometers, and location detection services.
The verdict: Although the Google Android platform falls a a bit short, the BlackBerry Storm is right on Apple’s heels.

iPhone 3G: The mobile 2.0 standard under threat. Read more