Personal communications

A Foxconn security official has been suspended and the case involving the apparent suicide of a worker who reportedly lost a prototype iPhone 4G has been handed over to Chinese authorities, according to a Bloomberg report Wednesday.

Foxconn employee Sun Danyong, 25, apparently killed himself on July 16 after realizing that one of the iPhone 4G prototypes that was entrusted to him was missing, according to Chinese media reports. Sun was responsible for shipping iPhone prototypes to Apple.

Sun reported the missing phone to Foxconn, which, according to various Chinese media reports, searched his apartment and questioned him about the … Read more

Few things are less sexy than the humble router. But this wireless workhorse is our portal to the wonders of the Internet, and it's overdue for a makeover. Art students, backed by U.K. phone and broadband company TalkTalk, have come up with four clever and cool concepts to bring sexy back to Wi-Fi gizmos.

TalkTalk turned to Goldsmiths of the University of London, the crucible of learning that begat the band Blur and artist Damian Hirst and is so minimalist and stylish it's dropped the word "college." And it's on Twitter (@GoldsmithsUoL). Damn, we … Read more

Like it does in most countries, Apple has a preferred wireless carrier in the United Kingdom. In this case the carrier is O2, but that may not be the case for long, at least for the iPhone 3G.

According to a report on Mobile Today, Apple may open up iPhone 3G sales to other wireless carriers in the U.K., namely O2 competitors Orange and T-Mobile. O2's exclusive with Apple reportedly ends in September, giving Apple a couple of months to set up other deals.

T-Mobile is so sure that they will get the contract for the iPhone 3G … Read more

At long last, Research In Motion is bringing its BlackBerry Desktop software to Mac OS X.

In a blog post on Monday, RIM announced that a version of its smartphones' desktop software will be released this September for Apple computers.

According to the smartphone maker, users will be able to sync their iTunes playlists, calendars, contacts, notes, and tasks from their Mac. They will also have the option of adding applications, updating the BlackBerry when new software is made available, and managing multiple handsets on their Apple computers.

Although users will be excited to know BlackBerry software is finally coming … Read more

Belkin will not be releasing its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory.

CNET has learned that the company has decided not to offer the FlyWire for sale. A Belkin spokesperson confirmed the product's cancellation, saying that "its retail price of $1,499 would be out of line given the current state of the economy."

The FlyWire was introduced at CES 2008. The unit was a transmitter/receiver combo: the transmitter toggled between multiple audio and video sources (HDMI and analog), which were then wirelessly beamed to a receiver. Since the tiny receiver required only AC power and utilized a single HDMI output, it could be stealthily mounted behind wall-mounted flat screens or ceiling mounted projectors, eliminating the need for long unsightly cable runs. At one point, Belkin was mulling two versions: an initial high-end, multiroom-capable $1,499 version for multiple AV sources, followed by a less pricey single-source transmitter.

Early demos of the FlyWire impressed us--enough that we nominated it as a finalist in the Home Video category for Best of CES 2008. (It was edged out by the Dish Network DTVPal DVR.) But the FlyWire's premature death is just another indication that wireless HDMI technology is all but stillborn at the consumer level. Other notable no-shows, at least so far: the Philips wireless HDMI kit (introduced January 2007) and the Monster Express HD System (announced summer 2008). … Read more

Apple may have blinked first in the ongoing battle with the Chinese government to allow the company to sell a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone in that country.

The back-and-forth battle between Apple and China's Ministry of Industry and Information may be coming to a close. According to a BusinessWeek report, Apple has applied for a Network Access License that would allow the company to begin selling the iPhone without Wi-Fi.

In typical fashion, Apple has reportedly been hard-nosed in negotiations with the Chinese government over the iPhone. However, the government has been just as hard-nosed, refusing to allow Apple to sell … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Among the many questions raised in the wake of Google's announcement of Chrome OS is exactly how the project fits in with Google's Android mobile operating system.

Essentially, nothing has changed, said Google's Andy Rubin at a press conference Friday morning highlighting Google and T-Mobile's partnership on the launch of the new MyTouch 3G smartphone. "You need different technology for different products," Rubin said, explaining that Google's approach to product development means that projects that might overlap aren't necessarily scuttled to protect the one that got there first.

Android is first … Read more