When Ted Estarija added his son to his cell phone plan, he probably wasn't expecting the adorable little scamp to download 1.4GB in a month. But these kids, that's they do! Anyway, in a show of uncustomary magnanimity, Verizon has forgiven all charges for the month, and Estarija the Younger has been cut off, so everything's back the way it should be. Except for the fact that apparently a kajillion percent (approximately) increase in data usage didn't send up any flags at Verizon as it was happening, which is pretty unfortunate customer relations. [AP via Consumerist]

The worst part about this, if I had to pick just one, is that it actually positions your phone perfectly so that you can't see your baby and he or she can't see you, even when you're not texting. So enjoy swapping gossip with your buddies with your Texthook, Terrible Parent! And later explaining to your spouse why the kid calls your iPhone "dada." [Texthook via OhGizmo, Photo via NY Daily News]

This Week's Apps

If you hate hate hate galleries, click here to view the apps as a single page.

Honorable Mentions

• Google Mobile: This update keeps the app from launching into Safari as much as it used to, and widens its voice capabilities. A minor but useful upgrade.

• My Name and Head Shoulders Knees & Toes: I suspect most of you don't reader these roundups to find ways to entertain your children. But if you do, My Name, which will teach your tot how to spell whatever is on his birth certificate, and Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes, which makes a simple touch game out of the children's song, will distract them long enough for you to gobble up enough Zoloft to keep the gears moving without anyone noticing.

• Wolfram Alpha: Once a comical $50, this mega calculator app is now a slightly less comical $20.

• Monkey Ball 2: Last week, I noted that this app seemed to have a widespread crashing problem, and therefore couldn't recommend it, despite the fact that it's a worthy—if not revolutionary—followup to one of the iPhone's best launch titles. The bug has been identified: If you have a jailbroken phone, avoid this one. If you don't, and you loved Monkey Ball numero uno, give it a shot.

• iClassic: Replaces your music interface with a faux-clickwheel. Jailbreak-only.

• Voltron: A name and a concept worth getting excited about, let down by mediocre execution.

• Aqua Forest 2: Same deal as above: A game with a pedigree and a soild concept, but on which the developers didn't quite follow through well enough.

This Week's iPhone News On Giz

• Mega-iPhone Dorks Who Idolise Rambo, Strap This On For Size

• Apple Countersues Nokia

• Analyst Claims iPhone Users Are Suffering From "Stockholm Syndrome"

• Apple Patent Shows Dock Made From 'Elastic Sponge-Like Substance' That Conforms To Shape of iPod/iPhone

• In Which a Telco Executive Makes Taking Sound Like Giving

This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our Favorite iPhone Apps Directory. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Microsoft's new "Inside the Apps Lab" video takes the App Store to task for its boatloads of useless apps—a valid point, to be sure, but Microsoft might be living in a glass house here. Or a nonexistent house. Sure, there's tons of bullshit in the app store—there was a legal debate over fart apps, for god's sake—and I like some of the ideas Microsoft's putting forth here. That Virtual Sundial is damnably close to believable, for one thing. But the ad is a plug for Windows Marketplace, which admittedly doesn't have the crap, but only because it also, um, barely exists. Sort of funny, but not enough self-awareness, and so it plops into Remainders. [YouTube]

If you're a big Miles Davis fan, and have somehow missed the news that even when Monster Cable products don't outright suck, they're criminally overpriced, have I got a product for you! The Miles Davis Tribute Set includes Monster Cable's gaudy, gold-plated Miles Davis earbuds, a few accessories, and some kind of deluxe version of Kind of Blue (even though Bitches Brew is better YEAH I SAID IT JAZZ NERDS. DEAL.), all for the outrageously high price of $400! Why's it in Remainders? Screw Monster Cable, that's why. [CrunchGear]

The Street "exclusively" reports what seems to be totally unfounded speculation from an industry analyst: Google is coming out with their own Android smartphone hardware. What evidence is there to back up this theory? Well, um, Google wants lots of people to use Android, and, well...this analyst talked to Google's design partners about it! Design partners who remain anonymous and give absolutely no concrete details to back up a "plan" that runs counter to the overall Android concept! Plus there's this awful, wrong-on-several-levels sentence that acts like a beacon transmitting "WARNING. WARNING. ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER THIS STORY" in Morse Code:

By bypassing the carriers, who keep tight controls over the features and applications that are allowed on phones, Google will presumably offer a device that lets users determine the functions.

Oh right, because somehow a Google-made Android phone would...not need a wireless network? And darn those carriers for crippling Android phones—oh wait that hasn't happened, at all.

In the parlance of our times: Sweet exclusive, bro. [The Street]

The two companies who supply the most vital parts of any ebook reader, Freescale (processor) and E Ink (display) have joined forces in a "development deal" that they say will both lower costs of existing readers and give the option for increased capability in the future. That's pretty sweet and all—it could mean ebook readers finally hit their magic price point, whether it's $200 or $100—but without concrete results, we're keeping this little tidbit in Remainders purgatory. Keep us updated, Free-Ink (get it?). [TechFlash]

What's not surprising is that Motorola is dead last. Up until their Android Cliq they really didn't have much going for them—and neither did Palm, until their Pre. So our guess is that these ratings will look a little different next year with Palm moving up a slot or two, and Motorola pulling out of the shame spot.

Motorola doesn't do too bad on the dumbphone ratings, on the other hand.

Also, LG? [JD Power]

The Chinese version of the phone was simply not fit for the US market, lacking 3G and Wi-Fi, but according to a tipster, Dell will change some of the internals before it debuts here. The tipster specifically names an improved camera (5MP, up from 3MP) but we'll assume that if the rumor is true, it'll also get a bump in the wireless department to 3G. Interestingly, Dell is said to be messing with Android's internals for some reason, making some apps incompatible, though we can't imagine what purpose that would serve other than customer frustration.

The phone is said to be thinner than the iPhone, though with a similar icon list and feels "plasticky, like the Palm Pre," which would be fairly in line with the Chinese model. This is unconfirmed for now, but we'll keep you updated if we hear anything else on Dell's possibly entering the US smartphone arena. [Crunchgear]

Apart from its clearly camera design, the Samsung SCH-W880 comes loaded:

• 3.3-inch AMOLED WGA screen.
• UMTS/HSDPA connectivity.
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Slot for microSD cards.
• HD video at 30fps
• Macro mode.
• Xenon flash.

We haven't tried yet, but this looks like the first cameraphone that can actually satisfy the photographer/Peeping Tom in us. [Samung Hub via HDblog via Engadget]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but yeah, we're talking about the iPod touch model: It's about platforms. That run apps. That people can develop awesome little programs for. In other words, a good PMP won't just have great codec support and be able to push HD video, it'll get you on Twitter or Facebook or tell you what's good to eat nearby.

Not convinced? Check out the new Archos 5, which dumps the old OS for Android. Or the Creative Zii, also allegedly launching with Android. If you're in the second tier, grabbing a popular app-friendly platform is not a bad way to compete.

Apple itself noted that old-school iPods were on a death march—so the company added a video camera to the nano, to keep it alive for a generation or two more. True, Sony's X-Series appears to be keeping on keeping on, but it feels like an anacrhonism, albeit with a nice screen—no extendability, and a horrible internet browser.

The argument really comes down to the Zune HD, launching this week. It finds itself in an awkward position, essentially because of the effective limbo Microsoft's mobile OS is in—in other words you can't easily develop apps for both Zune HD and Windows Mobile, which Zune's Brian Seitz basically admitted to the Seattle Times: "What we didn't want to do was build two parallel app store experiences that didn't work together."

So there's no open app store, but in the meantime, Microsoft's providing the apps with a handful of chosen developers, so we're stuck with games, and soon a Twitter and Facebook app. But what is clear is that Zune is a platform that people can develop for. And it seems inevitable that'll be common with the next version of Windows Mobile, or the mysterious project Pink, if that is something else—at least, if Microsoft's actually serious about the Zune having a future.

In other words, it's startlingly clear now that the traditional PMP is history, replaced by PMPs powered by mobile platforms. They're smartphones without the "phone," and even lacking that major element, they're surprisingly valuable, more pocket computer—with internet and apps—than glorified video player.

The hard specs: 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen, 8.1MP camera, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, TV-out. And oh yes, the panels custom interface on top of Windows Mobile is back, though refined, as we saw earlier. It'll be out later this year for 699 euros, so um, not cheap if it ever comes to the US. [Computerbild]

"Interestingly enough, we discovered that most people who carry a Windows phone don't realize it's running Windows Mobile."

Well. I'll just leave it at that. Except to wonder precisely which Windows Mobile 6.5 phones we'll see on Oct. 6—T-Mobile is oddly missing from the list of North American carrier partners—and um, when, dear god, will we see Windows Mobile 7? And please tell me by now they've come up with a better plan than this.

Update: Also opening Oct. 6 is the Windows Marketplace, Microsoft's app store for all 6.X Windows phones, which we're interested to see how it pans out. [Windows Team]

BGR coaxed a few details about the skin/shell/application set/whatever from a Motorola insider:

It will combine all personal contacts and social networking sites into a clean and easy to use interface...The skin/OS is named "Blur" by Motorola and will be heavily web-connected. All Android devices will be able to upgrade different sections of the OS and interface all over the air.

Given how vague and strange the language is, it's hard to glean exactly what to expect, but I get the feeling the reality of Blur will be somewhat familiar: an HTC-Sense-like social networking layer, with custom widgets and a systemwide skin. This concept works for the Hero, and looks fantastic coming from Sony. As for how Motorola will actually execute this, we'll have to wait and see. Hey, guys, when's that Morrison supposed to come out again? [BGR, Image from Phandroid]

Code-named "Hummingbird," this new chip is designed with smartphones in mind as it balances power consumption and high clock speeds, and matches the single core end of Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform.

Analysts suggest it could be easily dropped into a new iPhone or Pre:

Samsung could drop Hummingbird into the existing S5PC100 design with few or no changes," Halfhill said in response to an e-mail query, referring to the S5PC100 processor now used in the iPhone 3GS. "Bingo! A next-gen iPhone that could run at speeds up to 1.0GHz," he said.

But more than likely, we'll see them in Android-based or other smartphones first, just like we're seeing 1GHz Snapdragon chips pop up in other phones right now.

I just know that my heart rate matches a hummingbird's at the thought of a 3G S(uper) S(peedy). [CNET]

Though Palm or Sprint will likely replace a Pre with obvious wiggle, sometimes you just want to get your hands dirty and do it yourself. The problem seems to be a bit too much give in the tabs that hold the two halves of the phone to the sliding mechanism, so you can fix it by bending the tabs (risky) or even applying a layer of superglue to the rails to make them thick enough to fit the too-loose tabs (riskier). It'd take a confident tinkerer to mess with such delicate hardware, but anything to avoid dealing with wireless carrier customer service, right? [Pre Central, image from same source]

Developers will be able to submit applications to get started on the vetting process as soon as July 27th, giving Microsoft a little lead time to ensure a healthy selection at launch.

If Microsoft didn't explicitly state that the Marketplace would be exclusively available on Windows Mobile 6.5, they certainly implied it, touting the service as one of the great new features of the OS—they're even launching together in Fall. Wider availability makes sense, since the core components of the OS are largely unchanged, and apps will generally be cross compatible. Basically, this is great for the scores of Windows Mobile users who can't—or don't want to—upgrade.

That said, it leaves Microsoft, and 6.5, in an awkward position. Without the draw of the Marketplace, there really isn't much left to be excited about in 6.5. Intertial scrolling? A new Start menu and home screen? As someone who's been using a late build of the OS for quite some time, I can say that it's a welcome upgrade, but improves things to a degree you'd expect from a third-party shell replacement like Touchflo 3D or Touchwiz, not a proper OS upgrade. [Microsoft via PCWorld]

It's a half-baked idea, of course, which is why we're only seeing it in a patent and not in actual hardware. Unless the half-keyboards were incredibly strong, the whole device would feel like it's itching to break into pieces, and wouldn't it have to be twice as thick as standard QWERTY sliders to accommodate double the amount of hardware? So it's just a patent, and it'll almost certainly stay that way. But at least somebody's trying to figure out a way to keep hardware keyboards alive. [Reg Hardware]

When our very own Matt Buchanan conducted last year's iPhone Clone Battlemodo, his verdict on the first generation Glyde was as succinct as it was scathing:

"The Glyde is just a truly terrible phone. Most clay bricks are more responsive than its touchscreen, especially around the edges, and the crappy, sluggish Verizon software doesn't help. And its keyboard ain't much better."

I do like the idea of a competitive haptic touchscreen rival to the iPhone. So here's hoping that Samsung and Verizon have lifted their game. It's early days, so no word yet on pricing or availability. [HowardForums via Electronista]

After what seems like years of 'will they? won't they?' speculation, this pic has appeared on the Chinese site PDAFans and is at the least a vaguely Pre-looking device baring a Dell logo. It is rumored to be released by the end of the year and assuming this is real it looks like it will be running Android. [PDAFans via engadget]

There simply isn't a better mobile browser than WebKit right now. It powers the internet in the iPhone, Android, Symbian S60 and Palm Pre, and destroyed all comers in our Battlemodo. It's fast, it's competent and most importantly from a development perspective, it's open source. Meaning Microsoft could adopt it for its mobile devices with (relatively) little shame (okay, maybe a lot of shame) and it's ready to go right now, meaning there's no wasting time building a new engine just to attempt to play catchup to a browser that handily delivers the best mobile internet experience right now across multiple platforms.

Mozilla's Fennec could become a contender to the throne, true, but it's still far from final. Opera and Skyfire are interesting and good, but they're both proprietary, meaning there's no chance in hell they'd ever be adopted by Microsoft or RIM, much less the entire industry, as the basis for their mobile browsers. Update: BTW, Ballmer himself mentioned they might look at WebKit.

You could rail against the idea of WebKit becoming a "monopoly," but you'd be foolish to do so: Web standards are important, and WebKit, which is again, open source, is dedicated to standards compliance and performance. A performance and compliance standard that web developers could count on in every single mobile device wouldn't be a bad thing—far from it. It would mean even more amazing web apps, since developers would know they'd run on any mobile device, no matter what "OS" they were running underneath—the web would be the real OS.

That day is coming. I just hoped I'd see it a little sooner.