IBLOG SPACE

Microsoft may be having difficulty getting the NoDo update into the wild, but it seems there’s nothing stopping it from leaking. A ROM for the HTC Schubert – aka the HTC HD7 – has hit the wilds of xda-developers , complete with the NoDo update (i.e. copy & paste functionality, among other tweaks) baked in. Unfortunately, flashing it isn’t a simple matter of copying the ROM over. Instead, you’ll need to have the specific unlocked HD7 or else spend some time creating a Goldcard to fool the installer into thinking your handset has a generic ID. Of course, that leaves every other Windows Phone 7 user out in the cold still, though we imagine there’ll be people already at work trying to tease the NoDo elements out of this particular ROM. Hopefully Microsoft will get its act together and release NoDo officially before that’s necessary, anyway.

Looking to grab its next billion users, Nokia has launched a new, entry level mobile phone aimed at “growth markets”, or the developing world. The X1-00 will retail for less than €35 (or $48 bucks), and has special features that will make it appealing for those markets. Oh, and it’s orange. Read on past the cut to see more specs and info. The phone has a massive speaker on the back, rated at 106phon (a measure of perceived loudness), which as far as we can tell is about as loud as a jet flying over. Nokia has tweaked the frequency response so that the sound does not distort at higher volumes. So why so loud? This way the phone can be heard over loud traffic and other ambient noise that can be quite loud in the developing world. Also, this allows people to share music on the phone with those around them, kind of like a mini-boombox. So just hope that you don’t get stuck on a bus next to one of these. It also has a 3.5mm audio jack for plugging into speakers if you want things to get eve

As mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones become ever more an integral part of our daily lives, the ecosystem in which all devices work in harmony is very important. A recent concept design by Antoine Brieux, called the HTC Tube Tablet combines smartphone and tablet via a Tube cartridge system that not only syncs the two devices but also allows for easy upgrades. The HTC Tube Tablet design measures 10mm in thickness and runs on either Android or Windows Phone OS relying on HTC Sense as the interface. It features a 10.4-inch Super Amoled display that is multi-touch capable and supports full HD along with a Qualcomm Adreno GPU and 128GB memory. However, the design centers on the concept of a Tube cartridge that allows users to upgrade features by swapping out the cartridge. And it appears the cartridge can be swapped between the tablet and the smartphone such that you could transfer data and processing power between the two devices. The cartridges themselves differ on processor s

Fiskar, the brand best known for shears and garden tools is stepping into the audio equipment market? Most likely not, but that doesn’t stop creative experimental designs using the Fiskar aesthetic. Designer Edouard Urcadez created a fittingly sharp looking concept of an HDD headphone amplifier called the 88. The 88 amplifier has a sleek stainless steel body with black and orange accents that tastefully transfer a Fiskar vibe in a minimalist form. The 88 design features 2TB of HDD space along with a USB 3.0 port. It is meant for headphones, but can also be used as a preamp with its four speaker outputs on the back side. It’s not clear if this was simply a fun exercise or something Fiskar may actually be contemplating as a way to diversify its portfolio. However, jumping into audio products for the company is a bit of a stretch. And although we all love our garden shears, I’m not sure if I really need my stereo system to match.

Here is yet another reason to rid yourself of that antiquated home phone. gHome is offering a new service that will turn your Google Voice account into a home phone. But can’t you already use Google Voice on your home phone? Yes, but you need an actual phone line to do it. This service lets you set up the service using only a high speed internet connection and a VoIP adapter. Yes, you can do that with Vonage, too. But this is cheaper. Find out more after the cut. gHome, by TelTub is an SIP-based VoIP service which can be used as a home phone-line using a SIP analog telephony adaptor (ATA) and your high speed connection. You can either use your own standard VoIP adaptor or order a pre-configured one from TELTUB for $50. The service was launched in January. You can see a comparison of gHome to other phone services here . gHome is $5 a month, with the first month free. It still does not have 911 service, the same as Google Voice. They do not require a contract.

With the Nintendo 3DS set to launch on March 27th, comes new accessories for the gaming device. Nyko announced today that they will be debuting two new accessories called the Power Pak+ and the Charge Base. The Power Pak+ will be released on the same day as the Nintendo 3DS while the Charge Base will release one week after. The Nyko Power Pak+ is a high capacity rechargeable battery pack that will double the battery life of the Nintendo 3DS. For extra control and comfort, the battery pack features debossed finger rests. Dropping at the same time as the 3DS, the Power Pak+ will cost $19.99. The Charge Base is a drop-in charging and storage station for the Nintendo 3DS. A Power Pak+ rechargeable battery pack is included with the purchase of a Charge Base. It features an LED indicator and on/off switch so you know when your battery is done charging. The base will launch one week after the Nintendo 3DS and will cost $29.99.

The first PC virus in history was created back in 1986 and called “Brain.” Since this was before common use of computer networks and the world wide web, the virus was transmitted through a floppy disk, the original kind that was actually floppy and about the size of a dinner plate. F-Secure researcher Mikko Hypponen and his company have made a small documentary tracing Brain back to its roots and delivering it back home to the original writers of the virus, Basit and Amjad Farooq. Hypponen remembers working on Brain back in the 80’s and when he reversed engineered it, the code revealed the names, address, and phone numbers for the brothers near Lahore Railway Station in Lahore, Pakistan. Hypponen travels to visit the Farooq brothers in Pakistan and interviews them about the story behind “Brain”. The brothers said they wrote Brain to explore the security holes of operating systems, but did not make it a malicious virus. They called it a “friendly virus” and that it would only detect if

Facebook’s trial run of movie rentals could spell trouble for Netflix in the future, but probably not the near future. On Monday, Facebook announced the availability of the movie “The Dark Knight” for rental using Facebook Credits. Having one movie available for rental is not exactly competing with Netflix, which has thousands, but it is an interesting direction for the social media giant. Users who rent “The Dark Knight” have full Facebook functionality while watching the movie, commenting, updating status, and chat. There is no doubt that there would be an appeal to watching a movie “with” friends on Facebook, so if the company decides to expand its offerings, this could present serious competion to Netflix. Especially considering that Netflix has 20 million subscribers, and Facebook has 500 million active users. There is the issue of watching movies on your computer vs. watching on a television, but that is already becoming less of an issue, and the barrier will likely come down in

Microsoft says that its Windows Phone App marketplace is growing, and that it is adding 100 new apps a day. Microsoft’s selection of apps, at 9,000, is still tiny compared to Apple’s or Android’s. Apple, for example, has over 350,000 apps, and there are more than 100,000 apps in the Android marketplace. But according to the Windows Phone Developer blog, there are 32,000 registered developers working on apps right now. Microsoft also changed some policies recently, raising the number of app certifications – a type of approval – it will do at no cost to builders of free apps, from five free certifications to 100. The company is encouraging developers to build trial versions of their apps. “Trials result in higher sales. Nearly 1 out of 10 trial apps downloaded convert to a purchase and generate 10 times more revenue, on average, than paid apps that don’t include trial functionality,” wrote Todd Brix senior director of Windows Phone Marketplace. But according to commenters on the Windows

Foursquare has just revealed details on its revamped 3.0 version due out late tonight. The popular location-based app allows people to share information on the places they’ve been via check-ins and encourages them to do so by turning it into a game of attaining badges and titles based on frequency of check-ins. The updated version adds several new new features including check-in recommendations, revamped leaderboard, and new deals for businesses. A new ‘Explore’ tab has been added that will help you discover new places nearby. It will recommend locations based on your search patterns, the places you’ve visited, the places your friends have visited, your loyalty to your favorite places, and the general categories you gravitate towards among various other factors. A revamped leaderboard now shows a 7-day barometer of you and your friends. Check-ins will now trigger dozens of different actions including discovering new places, trying new restaurants, and visiting new cities. And to reward

CTIA’s website has listed the finalists for its E-Tech awards and two unannounced LG phones made the list. No information about the mysterious phones was given out, but rumors are that they will be on the T-Mobile network. The other finalists for the awards are the Motorola Atrix, HTC Thunderbolt, and the LG Revolution. One of the possible identities for the unknown LG phones is the G2X, which is a version of the LG Optimus 2X that is rumored to be T-Mobile’s new phone. The other phone could be the 3D Optimus that was shown at the MWC in Barcelona recently. CTIA organizers sure know how to get people excited with mysterious phones and the upcoming Samsung tablet announcements. CTIA is held in Orlando, Florida and will run from March 22-24 at the Orange County Convention Center. It’s one the world’s largest trade shows for mobile devices like phones and tablets. The show will draw 1,000 companies and have 40,000 professionals from 125 countries to descend upon Orlando. We will be there

Google has just officially released the stable version of Chrome 10. This version brings the Crankshaft JavaScript engine and is two thirds faster than Chrome 9. Hundreds of bugs are fixed and several security vulnerabilities are addressed including added protection from Flash crashes and security holes through sandboxing. Chrome 10 has a new settings interface that shows up as a tabbed page instead of a pop-up menu. It makes it easier for you to search for the settings page you need and even allows you to share the page link if you are trying to troubleshoot for someone remotely. It also allows for easier password syncing between Chrome browsers. This new version is available for download now for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Chrome updates from Google can be expected almost every six weeks.

Apple has released another update for iTunes after having just released version 10.2 last week. It is not clear why such an update was required so soon and there were no differences listed on the release notes. iTunes 10.2.1 was released with new Java builds for Mac OSX Leopard and Snow Leopard and the update could be just for some minor bug fixes. The update has the same features as 10.2, which added iOS 4.3 and Home Sharing support to sync with iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod Touch. Support for iOS 4.3 and Home Sharing will allow you to stream music from a PC or a Mac to an iOS device. However, iOS 4.3 will not be available until March 11th along with the iPad 2.

Microsoft’s answer to iTunes and the iPod was the Zune and the company wanted to push the idea of sharing the music you liked with your friends. If you were in the same vicinity you could send each other music, or even listen to the same song at the same time. The service never got enough traction and the Zune couldn’t sell enough units. But it looks like Microsoft is taking another stab at a music service with something called Ventura. A job posting was discovered by Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet by Microsoft for the Ventura Media Services team looking for developers for a set of services “revolving around music/video discovery and consumption.” The project is being developed under Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices unit, which manages the Xbox and the Zune. The service reportedly will incorporate ratings, recommendations, and comments from users. Ventura looks like it could be web-based service much like Pandora. The recommendations and ratings could give users music and videos based on

Samsung continues its thinly-veiled tablet teasing ahead of the third slate’s official reveal later this month, now outing a close-up of the tablet’s rear edge and headphone socket. Believed to be the Galaxy Tab 8.9, an 8.9-inch version slotting in-between the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab and the larger Galaxy Tab 10.1 , the new image shows what appears to be an impressively slim device. It certainly looks as though the 8.9-inch tab could be the thinnest of Samsung’s line to-date. The depth only looks a little greater than a regular headphone jack, which would potentially put it on a far stronger footing against the new iPad 2 . Samsung has already admired Apple’s new slate for its slender build; could they also have something waiting in the wings that’s similarly thin? We’ll have to wait until March 22 to find out, as that’s when Samsung has promised to whip off the wraps and reveal the 8.9-inch gadget in all its glory. We’re expecting Android 3.0 Honeycomb along with a dual-core pr

RIM has inked a deal with digital music provider 7digital for a Music Store on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The app will see over 13m MP3s available for on-device purchase on the QNX slate, when it launches in the US and Canada later this year, as part of RIM’s attempt to take on iTunes and the iPad 2 . The MP3s 7digital offers are DRM-free – the company also offers tracks online using Microsoft DRM, but they don’t appear to be included in the PlayBook range – which means they’ll be easier to move around between devices than, say, tracks purchased from iTunes. There’s no sign of video downloads, however, which RIM will need if it’s to compete fully with Apple. The PlayBook has a 7-inch screen and is expected to be launched as early as April 10 according to recent leaks. It will initially be available as a WiFi-only model, with a WiMAX version for Sprint following later in 2011.

Groupon is in talks with electronic payment hardware provider Verifone over integrating easier coupon redemption into its systems. According to Groupon president Rob Solomon, speaking to Businessweek , Verifone is among a number of companies the group purchase site is holding discussions with, and may involve the addition of a dedicated Groupon button to cash registers so that businesses could more easily deal with shoppers using the discounts. “We are in an evaluation mode” Solomon suggested, claiming smaller retailers had been overwhelmed with Groupon interest from customers and needed an easier way to process the coupons. A trial is expected to roll out, though no timescale for its launch has been given. It’s not the only non-traditional payment method Verifone is looking to. The company announced last week that it was adding NFC support to all upcoming hardware, a major step in enabling tap-payments from smartphones and NFC-enabled credit and debit cards.

Logitech has outed its latest 5.1 speaker system, the Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z906 , complete with THX certification and onboard 5.1 digital decoding. The multibox setup packs a 500W RMS amp pushing five 67W channels to the surround speakers and a further 165W to the subwoofer. Inputs include two digital optical ports, a single digital coax, six channels of direct analog, RCA and a 3.5mm stereo socket. Up to six devices can be hooked up at a single time, and there’s a bundled infrared remote to control the whole thing. Each of the surround speakers can be wall mounted, for a more discrete installation, and the control box is stackable so that you can slot it in with your cable tuner and Blu-ray deck. Pricing is set to be $349.99 when the 5.1 system goes on sale imminently.

“HP has lost its soul” CEO Leo Apotheker has admitted, continuing the new exec’s self-flagellatory tour as he attempts to make the lumbering PC manufacturer more competitive. After confessing that HP innovation “ takes too long to get to market ” last month, Apotheker told Businessweek that he would look to webOS to refresh the company’s PCs. As of 2012, every HP PC shipped “will include the ability to run webOS in addition to Windows.” That integration will see webOS working alongside, rather than replacing, Windows however. HP has promised full integration of the two platforms, in a move that Apotheker believes will pull in more developers to the smartphone and tablet OS, and hopefully help the company differentiate its computers, printers and mobile devices. Also on the agenda is pulling out promising developments from smaller groups and teams in HP, and helping to commercialise them. “You don’t mandate innovation,” he suggests, “people need to be a little more empowered in this p

Audio specialists AKG has revealed its latest duo of headphones, the Bluetooth -toting AKG K830BT and the Kleer -enabled AKG K840KL . Each offering a different flavor of wireless, the two sets of on-ear cans use the company’s 3D-Axis2 folding headband design. AKG is positioning the Bluetooth set as the more flexible everyday option, while the Kleer set are targeted at audiophiles. The K830BT headphones promise up to 8hrs battery life, have an integrated microphone for hands-free use, and controls for track playback, volume and call/end. The K840KL, meanwhile, lack the microphone and only have volume controls, but do offer up to two weeks of battery life, up to 65ft range and CD-quality sound with uncompressed 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio reproduction. Both are available now, priced at $249 for the Bluetooth set and $299 for the Kleer set.

With iOS 5.0 failing to make its debut at Apple’s iPad 2 event last week, we’re wondering when the company might preview the next significant update in its mobile platform. According to German site Macerkopf , that will be at the start of April; their source claims iOS 5.0 and the refreshed MobileMe will both get their official launch next month. That’s certainly no great stretch, given Apple previously teased iOS 4.0 in early April 2010. The MobileMe update has also been well rumored over the past few months, with Apple expected to add cloud storage for digital media along with some more social-network focused functionality. Google, meanwhile, is expected to bring the latest version of Android to Google I/O on May 10 2011, so an Apple tease ahead of that would potentially leave the open-source OS playing catch-up. Among the improvements to iOS 5.0, it’s rumored Apple will rework notifications.

MSI has whipped out a new version of the AMD Radeon HD 6950 video card that uses a new and custom cooling solution to allow the card to run faster with better overclocks that other cards using the GPU. The new card is called the R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition . That fancy cooling solution promises a 21% improvement in performance. The dual fan cooling solution uses fans with MSI exclusive Propeller Blade technology that delivers 21% more airflow than conventional fan blade designs. The fans help the GPU to stay 11-degrees cooler than the reference cooling solution on the card and the noise output is less than the reference design at the same time. The card is made for overclocking for ultimate performance. MSI uses Triple over-Voltage with a 6+2 phase power delivery system with up to 21% more performance than the reference design. The card has 2GB of GDDR5 RAM and all the features of normal HD 6950 video cards as well. MSI also uses special caps that are handpicked to perform for o

A 64GB iPhone 4 prototype has apparently been spotted in Hong Kong, suggesting Apple is at least considering – or has considered – versions of the fourth-gen smartphone with greater capacity. Currently only 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 4 are on sale; however, MIC Gadget found a grey market vendor who claims a “small quantity” of 64GB devices leaked from Foxconn’s Shenzhen facility. Those devices are described as “engineered prototypes” and the vendor suggested that they’re an indication that Apple is about to boost the storage on offer. The prototype apparently matches previously leaked handsets, down to the absence of model and capacity labelling, not having engraved volume buttons, and the missing silver ring around the rear camera lens. Apple offers 64GB iPod touch and iPad models, but not iPhone 4. With flash memory prices generally moving down, it seems entirely possible that a capacity upgrade could be added without boosting the cost of the handset too significantly; ho

With AMD launching the new Radeon HD 6990 and laying claim to the title of world’s fastest video card you know that lots of gaming computers running the new video card are inbound. iBUYPOWER has announced that it is now cramming the powerful AMD video card inside its gaming rigs and you can run over and customize one with the new card right now. The video card is a gamers dream and if you have a bunch of screens, you can run the card with up to six displays connected to a 3×2 landscape setting. That would make for some immersive gaming. The video card supports the AMD PowerTune feature for overclocking with ease. The card also supports real-time workload management as well. The new HD 6990 isn’t a cheap upgrade though it will add over $400 to the base price of the gaming rig you choose and fully optioned gaming PCs can run well over $2500. “Delivering exceptional graphics is vital to our gaming customers,” said Darren Su, Vice President of iBUYPOWER. “The AMD Radeon 6990 cards are the

Stem Innovation has a line of interesting gear and most of the stuff the company has is aimed at Apple users. They have a new set of stereo speakers that have just launched that will work with any computer that has a USB plug, but the things are styled to complement a MacBook. They ship with an AC adapter as well. The speakers have Stem Sonic iQ audio enhancement tech inside and performance-tuned bass-reflex ports. They have a custom configured DSP-enhanced amp and has headphone out port for listening in private. Connectivity to the computer is via a single USB port. Each of the speakers are 2.75″ full-range offerings and they are 120V and 240V compatible. An aux input on the speakers allows you to connect your MP3 player or smartphone to play tuned directly through the speakers. The speakers each measure 6.55″ H x 3.19″ W x 6.54″ D. The speakers can be purchased right now for $99.95 online and in Apple retail stores.

I ran across an interesting new smartphone stand today that should work with just about any smartphone as long as it has enough room on the back to stick the stand without blocking the camera. The stand is called the wEASEL and will be debuting at CTIA this month for the first time. The stand sticks to the back of your device with tape that is pre applied to the stand. You peel the cover off the tap, align it to your device, and stick it down. Once it’s stuck to your smartphone, the wEASEL can be used to prop the device up in portrait or landscape modes. The stand also has an extendable top section that will stick up above the smartphone to allow you to hold it with a finger. The ring can also be used to mount the smartphone in your car as you see in the pic above. That would drive me crazy though since the phone would swing back and forth. Check out the video below and see the stand in action. Pricing and availability are unannounced at this point.

Avatron’s Air Display has been around for a while now on the App Store for the iPhone and iPad. The company has announced that a new version of the app is now on the Mac App Store for download as well. The Mac version allows any Mac computer to be used to extend the display of another Mac or Windows PC. The app works pretty much the same as the iPhone and iPad versions using a wireless connection to make your MacBook a second display for your Windows computer or for your Mac desktop. This might be a cool way to get your Mac and Windows PCs to coexist on one computer. Air Display for Mac can operate in full-screen and window modes and it can be connected over the Ethernet if you want making for a faster connection than WiFi. The iOS version of the app aren’t able to do that. Avatron says that when you are connected to WiFi the mouse pointer movement is just as it would be on the home computer. The Mac app requires OS X 10.6 or higher and an Intel CPU to run. You can buy the app right n

You can do many cool things with a set top box for your TV. If that box runs Android, you can access the Android Market and download games and other apps for playing right on your big screen. IN Media has announced a new Set Top Box that runs Android 2.2 and promises tight integration with your Android device. It’s not clear exactly how the box will allow the user to control games on their big screen, but with the boast of tight integration with an Android tablet or smartphone, perhaps they are used as a controller. The set top box will stream on demand media as well. IN Media also notes that the new set top box will work for businesses that need a digital signage solution. The box will allow the content displayed on the digital sign to be changed via a browser. That would be very convenient. Pricing, availability as well as official photos are unavailable.

My son has a DS and loves the Pokémon games. He went bonkers when we walked into Walmart and they had hoards of the White and Black version of the Pokémon game that launched back over the weekend. Apparently, in many areas there were huge lines to get hands on the games. Nintendo has announced that the Black and White versions of the game combined have beat the US sales record of Pokémon games. The record was previously held by the Diamond and Pearl versions that launched in 2007 with a combined sales total of 780,000 units in one day. The new game version has handily beaten that record. Nintendo reports that combined the new White and Black versions sold 1.08 million units in one single day on March 6. The new game adds 150 new Pokémon for players to play and a new area called Unova. The last few days has been nothing but talk of evolution and new Pokemon in my house.

Pioneer has unveiled the first in a new series of AV receivers that will support Apple AirPlay. The new receiver is the VSX-1021 and it sells for a surprisingly low price of $549.99. The receiver supports 7.1-channel sound and the big feature is certainly the support for Air Play. The receiver can receive music streamed from iTunes and play it on you home theater system and it can connect too your network with integrated Ethernet support. The receiver also has an optional WiFi receiver for wireless connectivity. The receiver is also designed to work with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod as well with an included USB video cable for the device so no dock is needed. The Apple gadgets will also charge while they are docked. The system allows you to listen to music from your iPhone and view the album art on your TV and it can steam other content from your device like YouTube and more. The Apple gear can also be used as a remote control for the receiver with an app that is available for download.

If you can’t wake up in the morning without a nice hot shower and some tunes, a new radio will let you combine those two necessities in one device that won’t fry when it gets wet. The gadget is called the H2O Shower Powered Radio and the thing is more than just a waterproof radio. It gets all the power it needs to operate directly from the water flow in your shower. The radio uses a small H2O micro turbine that drives a generator inside the radio to create power to operate. The radio has an internal battery that recharges as you run the shower. The radio is green and harnesses energy in the shower that is wasted. The radio connects to a shower hose and will work with 99% of all showers. Perhaps showers elsewhere are different, but none of the showers anywhere I have ever lived would work with this thing. The radio can be purchased now in Europe for £34.99.

I have played with many of the high-power laser pointers over the years from various makers. The pointers are cool to play with because they can melt plastic and burn things, but they don’t they don’t look that cool. A geek has taken it upon himself to make his own pulse laser pistol and this is what those laser pointers should look like. The gun is called the DIY Pulse Laser Gun and was built by Patrick Priebe. The builder says that the gun has a small pulse laser head with a kW-pulse of infrared coherent light. A single shot can punch through a razor blade, plastic, and 5mm thick Styrofoam when focused. The range of the gun is 3M for dark surfaces and the shot will make a stinging flame and leave a 5mm stain behind. I bet it would burn your skin pretty well too. I don’t even want to think about what it would do to your eye. The gun is about 320mm long and weighs two pounds.

Apple has reportedly ditched Samsung for the Apple A5 dual-core processor at the heart of the iPad 2 , taking up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) for production of the current-gen 40nm chip and a future 28nm version. According to EETimes ‘ source, Samsung’s increasing role as an iPad and iPhone competitor led Apple to TSMC’s door. Meanwhile, the manufacturer is also apparently known for having the highest yielding 40nm process in the foundry world, along with the most 40nm capacity at present. Considering the number of iPad 2 shipments Apple reportedly plans for Q2 2011 alone, and the fact that the iPhone 5 is expected to also use the Apple A5, the company needs a supplier capable of meeting its ambitious production schedule. The existing iPhone 4 and iPad both use Apple’s A4 1GHz chipset, a single-core SoC co-developed with Samsung (and which the Korean company went on to use as the Hummingbird CPU in the Galaxy Tab slate and Galaxy S smartphone). Even if App

Opera may have beat rivals like Amazon to the punch with its new Opera Mobile Store , offering browser-based access to apps across various mobile platforms, but the new service has had an undesired side-effect: getting Opera Mini booted from GetJar. The download service confirmed this morning that “Due to violations of our T&C’s Opera Mini has been banned from GetJar,” going on to suggest that users “download Bolt, UCweb, Dolphin, Layar or Sqauce and others as needed” instead. A subsequent tweet pinned the blame on Opera’s new Mobile Store service, which is a competitor to GetJar’s own business. “[Opera] placed an app store in their browser. one thing we can’t do is promote competing app stores ;)” the message read, with a full explanation promised sometime today. Opera is yet to comment officially itself on the matter, though we’re guessing the company won’t be too impressed by GetJar’s decision. Still, as we saw when Apple gave Opera a 17+ rating in the Mac App Store, the compa