Sony hasn’t been doing so well lately, and it is formulating a plan to come back swinging. While manufacturers like Apple and Microsoft haven’t been increasing their presence in the consumer electronics space, Sony has been trailing behind. The iPhone is increasingly becoming popular for gaming and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 will feature Xbox Live and Zune features. It’s going to be very competitive and tricky for Sony, the the Japanese manufacturer does have a game plan.

Mobile devices like smartphones, eBook readers and tablets are becoming all the rage; Google even says that devices like smartphones can make desktops irrelevant in just three years. With Sony’s PSP aging and the PSP Go not experiencing much popularity, a PlayStation smartphone could be its saving grace. According to the Wall Street Journal and “sources familiar with the matter,” Sony will be working with Sony Ericsson, its joint mobile venture, in cranking out handsets and devices that will integrate PlayStation features and Sony Online Services.

Nothing is set in stone and there is still a lot unknown about what may happen, but if the rumors are correct, we can expect to see some of these devices as early as the end of this year.

Surprise! You’ve opened your Sprint bill and it’s somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000 more than what you normally pay. When the shock and amazement turn into confusion and anger, what do you do? Perhaps it’s not the nicest thing to say, but it could very well be your fault. How is that, you ask?

Sprint users appear to be the victims of long-distance hackers who have a propensity for calling Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. The nature of the hacks haven’t been determined, but it is likely that the account PINs were as simple as “12345″ or passcodes of that nature. After acquiring PIN codes, the hackers may have been able to dial out using Sprint customers’ numbers using a voicemail prompt.

Luckily, Sprint is taking swift action and says that customers who were victims of the scam will not be responsible for the costs. Let this be a public service announcement: monitor your account frequently online and choose a PIN number or passcode a little more complex than a sequence of numbers that start at one and end at five.

via Neowin

First it was Google Maps Navigation (Beta), which at first brought free spoken turn-by-turn directions to only the Motorola Droid (and later devices running OS 1.6 and up). Then came Google Buzz for mobile, the controversial social networking service, which is currently available for those Android phones running 2.0 and up. And just yesterday, the search-giant-turned-smart-phone-mogul released the very cool Gesture Search app, which allows users to look up contacts and locate applications just by scribbling a letter on the screen. Have a Motorola Cliq or a HTC Droid Eris or a Samsung Moment? Sucks to be you, because this app is also limited to Android 2.0 or above. It’s clear that Google is favoring the newer versions of its OS. This unfairly punishes both owners of devices running older flavors of Android, as well as Google’s partners.

Let’s start with the impact on users.  Right now, T-Mobile sells four Android phones. Guess how many run Android 2.0 or higher? Zilch. The only 2.0 device you can use on T-Mobile’s network that offers all of the above goodies is sold directly through Google, the Nexus One. Sprint doesn’t sell a single Android phone running 1.6 or higher, although it promises to upgrade its devices. Verizon Wireless has one phone that runs 1.6, the Motorola Devour, so you can download the beta of Google Maps Navigation, but not Buzz for mobile or Gesture Search. The Droid runs 2.0, and will be upgraded to 2.1 soon. The only AT&T Android phone, the brand-new Motorola Backflip, runs 1.5.

Historically, consumers haven’t paid attention to what OS their smart phone runs, nevermind the specific version. But it matters when you can’t access certain features and apps that other Android device owners can. Even first-gen iPhone owners can upgrade their devices to run the latest software.

On the other hand, most of the Android phones that run an older version of the OS have a more compelling user interface, such as Motorola’s social-networking themed Motoblur or HTC’s Sense. What shoppers can’t have—at least for the moment—is the best of both worlds. Why shouldn’t a Droid Eris or myTouch 3G be able to use Google Buzz or Gesture Search? And why is it taking so long for handset makers to upgrade their wares to the latest OS? Diversity can be a good thing for consumer choice, but shoppers shouldn’t have to choose between a slicker UI and being able to take advantage of Google’s latest features.

Some might accuse Google of forcing Android phone makers to think twice about adding their own skins and services to its OS. Fragmentation is bad for software developers because they have to ensure that their apps work across multiple versions of the OS. Google is sending a message by only releasing its own latest apps for the newest versions of its platform. And if the likes of  HTC, Motorola, and others can’t keep up with the latest releases, they might feel pressure to drop their own services in favor of the stock Google experience. That might be good for developers, but not for competition and differentiation.

Not long ago I said that Android was the new Windows Mobile. But, at least based on its recent behavior, it looks as though Google wants its OS to become the new Windows Phone 7 Series, with a much more unified user experience. In the meantime, Android phone buyers will continue to be confused by a seemingly artificial barrier that prevents their “old OS” devices from enjoying Google’s own innovations. Google needs to either work with its partners to make sure that all new Android phones going forward run its latest OS (regardless of the UI) or create different tiers for phones with different capabilities. Android Starter, anyone?

Editor-in-chief Mark Spoonauer directs LAPTOP’s online and print editorial content and has been covering mobile and wireless technology for over a decade. Each week Mark’s SpoonFed column provides his insights and analysis of the biggest mobile trends and news. You can also follow him on twitter.

Ohmigodohmigodohmigod, Apple just announced that the iPad will go on sale in the U.S. on April 3, and that U.S. consumers can pre-order the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G models starting March 12. That’s next Friday, folks! Unfortunately, only the Wi-Fi model will be available for purchase on the 3rd; the Wi-Fi/3G version won’t be ready until late April.

Also on April 3, Apple will launch its iBooks app and iBookstore, available as a free download from the App Store in the U.S. It will feature books from the New York Times Best Seller list from both major and independent publishers, including Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster, according to Apple’s press release.

As we noted in our hands-on time with the device, the iPad is a slick device, and should be great for surfing the Web, but it’s no netbook killer. Then again, it doesn’t have to be to be successful.

In case you forgot how much you need to start socking away for the device, here’s a rundown of the different models and their prices:

Wi-Fi only iPad:
$499 (16GB)
$599 (32GB)
$699 (64GB)

Wi-Fi + 3G iPad
$629 (16GB)
$729 (32GB)
$829 (64GB)

On the heels of Apple announcing imminent availability of the iPad, someone at Microsoft, ahem, “leaked” more details about the Courier, Microsoft’s own tablet/e-Reader project. The dual-screen tablet, long rumored to be as much of a digital journal as an e-Reader, has a smaller-than-expected size and, contrary to speculation, will not run Windows 7 ($77.54).

The Courier, said to measure less than an inch thick, will have dimensions similar to a 5 x 7 photo when closed. New details also suggest that the Courier will run on Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform, and that its OS will be the same one found on the Zune HD.

As we’ve heard, the Courier will be pen-based, with an emphasis on writing and drawing.

Leaked screenshots show a consistent visual theme: a Zune-like interface on the left-hand side, including functionality such as contacts and calendaring, with plenty of space on the right screen to scribble related notes– say, a to do list alongside your calendar for the day.

However, there will also be an eBook ecosystem that would allow users to use it as an e-Reader (no word yet on publisher agreements, much less an eBook store). Like the iPad, it will attempt to appeal to multimedia junkies as well; so far, we know it will have a webcam and a headphone jack for music playback. We’ll be curious to see if or how it supports videos and games.

According to Engadget, the Courier will launch in either the third or fourth quarter of this year, with no word on pricing. Color us curious.

Although the eBags new backpacks looks like it would be right at home on campus, it has the features to please both students and business travelers alike. Appropriately named the TLS (Tough, Lightweight, Smart) Workstation Laptop Backpack, the bag has three main compartments and many interior pockets, enough to comfortably tote your laptop, as well as all your gear.

Your laptop, is securely encased in a padded compartment at the back of the backpack. Ebags claims that removing the extra padding at the bottom of this compartment can accommodate laptops as large as 17 inches, but none of the 17 inch laptops we tried, in would fit. In addition, eBag’s online application for checking the fit of your laptop was a bit inaccurate. Ultimately, the laptop must be less than 11 x 15.5 x 1.5 inches to fit inside the bag.

We were intrigued by the main compartment because of its removable hard case, padded shelf, and velcro book strap. If you ever need to carry those pesky cables and power cords around (why do we still have so many cables in a wireless world?), you can take the hard case with you. Although you can put other items such as art supplies in this pouch, its large size and cumbersome shape make me wonder if anyone ever would do so.

The padded shelf neatly divides the main compartment into two sections. You can secure your books below with the bookstrap and put your gloves on the shelf. But if you don’t appreciate any of this design you can collapse the shelf and flatten the book strap, converting the main compartment into one large storage area.

The inside face of the main compartment has several large storage pockets, but none were deep enough for a magazine or newspaper. In the front of the backpack you’ll find pen holders and several zippered pockets, along with a place for your smartphone or eBook reader and a chain for your keys.

An extra zippered pocket on the outside allows easy access to items such as a map or boarding pass, but the vertical zipper doesn’t guarantee that your travel documents won’t fall out. If you need a place to put your water bottle, one of the two large zippered side pockets has an additional elastic strap to keep the bottle in place.

On the back side, the straps are contoured and padded so you don’t strain yourself. The two adjustable sternum straps can be easily removed – if you slide them off at just the right angle.

Though its appearance is a little plain, the TLS Workstation comes in five colors (Blue Yonder, Sinful Red, Green Envy, Grey Matter, Pitch Black) and may be purchased directly from eBags for $99.99.