World Cup Ping Pong for IPhone

macworld
World Cup Ping Pong, a $1 3-D table-tennis simulator from Skyworks with a free lite counterpart, is packed with features and looks great. Unfortunately, it's just not very fun."
(Image Caption: That's A Paddlin': World Cup Ping Pong offers plenty of modes and beautifully-rendered 3-D graphics. But those paddles are hard to control.) Let's start with the good stuff: World Cup Ping Pong comes loaded with modes. There's practice mode, head-to-head two player (which gets a little crowded as you play live on just one iPhone), Arcade Mode, and Tournament Mode. You can play as different nations, and you can choose paddles with different power/spin ratios. When you play, the game moves quickly, and technically, it plays well. The sound is perfect, and the 3-D table is beautifully rendered.
The big negative, sadly, rests with the controls. Keeping your finger on the screen to drag your paddle back and forth into position comes with two big "gotchas." First, dragging that consistently across the screen gets a bit unpleasant on the tactile front; somehow, the inability to lift that finger "for air" starts to cause friction problems. Even worse, though, when you couple your finger placement with the game's 3-D perspective, you'll immediately note that your finger is a fairly opaque appendage. Too often, you can't see the tiny white ball returning, since your big fat finger is in the way.
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The Truth About 'Phones For Four-Year-Olds'

skynews
A woman who plans to sell mobile phones aimed at young children in the UK has denied a flurry of media reports that she is targeting four-year-olds.
Speaking to Sky News Online, mother-of-three Frances Crean said the majority of the youngsters who currently used the Firefly phone in Ireland were aged eight to 12.
Although she did not put a minimum age on who the brightly coloured mobile was suitable for, she said it was ultimately up to the parents to decide.
The phone, which looks like a toy, has just five buttons, including two which call mum and dad directly.
It comes as new research shows more than half of under-10s now own a mobile.
The reports of young children as young as four being targeted has led to criticism from parents groups, who have expressed "strong concerns" about parental responsibility.
Aine Lynch, chief executive of National Parent Council Primary, said she was worried that young children who have the phone may not interact with other adults if they are being supervised by someone other than their parents.
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HTC unveils Android-powered Hero handset

itpro
The mobile giant has unveiled what it is claiming is the world's first Android-based phone that features a customised user interface.
HTC today unveiled its HTC Hero handset, which will run Google's Android operating system and feature a customised user interface.
The Hero boasts a 3.2in display, with an anti-fingerprint finish, in addition to a five megapixel camera, A-GPS, a digital compass and enhanced multimedia and search functionality.
There are also simple to use widgets and applications for both business and consumers alike, in addition to Teflon coating, according to HTC.
HTC also used the launch to announced a collaboration with Adobe focusing on beefing up Flash support on the handset.
The handset is the result of listening to users and trying to put them at the centre of the mobile experience, according to Peter Chou, HTC’s chief executive, who also announced that Orange and T-Mobile would be the first network partners.
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Business Netbook HP New Mini 5101

HP has extended its range of netbooks with a new model designed specifically for mobile professionals.
Starting at $449, the Mini 5101 will come with a brighter OLED screen, a larger, spill-resistant keyboard and a better-resolution 2-megapixel Webcam.
The Mini 5101 will also have a slightly faster Intel Atom processor, a new security feature and a higher-quality metal case than the current Mini 2140 (full review here), according to Carol Hess-Nickels, director of marketing for business netbooks at HP. The Mini 5101 will use Intel's Atom N280, which runs at 1.66 GHz, instead of the 1.6 GHz N270 in the Mini 2140, released less than six months ago.
Generally considered the third-leading netbook vendor behind Acer Inc. and Asus Inc., HP is among a few vendors to explicitly target business buyers with its netbooks. The Mini 5101 will be HP's fourth business netbook in less than a year and a half. It released the Mini 2133 in early 2008, and followed that up with the much-improved Mini 2140. HP announced a lower-end business Mini netbook in May, the Mini 1101.