If the hacking group called iPhone Dev-Team won't release their Jailbreak, it seems like someone else will. Developer George Hotz has released the Purplera1n jailbreak software for iPhone 3GS and by all accounts, it seems to work.

This one runs on Windows XP and Vista (Windows 7 and Mac OS aren't supported, apparently - it's weird for Windows 7). The jailbreak assumes that your iPhone runs with OS 3.0 (for a 3GS, that should be the case) and that you have the latest version of iTunes (may be do an update check?). The author warns that the Jailbreak is a beta, so do a full backup before running it just to be safe. Obviously, do this at your own peril, as this is clearly not supported by Apple. Good luck.

Links: Purplera1n, 3GS Jailbreak instructions, iPhone OS 3.0 Jailbreak

O2 might get all the media love with its Palm Pre win, but Orange has already rebounded by offering the (not as cool, but still nice) Toshiba TG01, a smartphone with a zippy fast Snapdragon processor. You can't tell on the photo, but it's big, I mean, comfortable. It's true that the display is impressive and we've played with it enough to tell you that it is fast, and reacts quickly - although we did not see one with a ton of apps installed. The page in the photo above has since been taken down, but the cat is now out of the bag.

Today we are featuring some technologies that bring our drinking experience to the next level... but, please drink responsibly*. Absolut launched its new iPhone app Drinkspiration leveraging GPS use and integrating Twitter and Facebook. The Absolut application recommends the right drink depending on the user's mood, the time of the day, the liquor type, the drink color, the shape of the glass, the type of venue and more. Using the built-in GPS, social media and users' collective behavior, Drinkspiration displays what cocktails are ordered around the world in alive Top list feed. Drinkspiration is expected to be released for Google Android G3. Check the video here dowload the application from iTunes here.

*Drink responsibly: Alcohol beverages are only for adults of legal drinking age.
If you choose to drink alcohol beverages, do so sensibly, and in moderation.
Avoid drinking before or when driving, or whenever it puts you or others at risk.
Don't drink if you are pregnant.

Last week, HTC officially announced its new Hero Android smartphone that will hit the market in Europe later this month starting via Orange UK, and Orange Spain. No words was said about the US /Canada market. Today, it got the FCC approval, with 850/1900 MHz 3G bands, the ones that AT&T operates on. Some recent rumors claim that Sprint could also launch the Hero, but we need to see a CDMA version on the FCC site first.

Xing is the Linked In of Europe and today it launches its free blackberry application. The 7 million Xing members will be able to sync specific Xing contact data with their address book on their Blackberry devices, reply to Xing private messages, update their Xing status and access their Xing page on the go.

The Xing app supports English, German, Spanish, Turkish and Italian. It is available for download at xing.com or on the Xing mobile website.

Samsung has finally rolled out its SCH-W760 cellphone in South Korea, making it the first handset in the world to come with an infrared camera, letting you hold video calls even in low-light situations like a club, where such a situation would best go with a bone conduction Bluetooth headset. In addition, you will still be able to snap much clearer images with the 3-megapixel camera behind, viewing the results on a 2.8" AMOLED display with 240 x 400 resolution. Other features of the SCH-W760 include 8GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, S-DMB TV support and high speed 3G connectivity. Folks in South Korea can expect to pick up this handset for approximately $457, and it remains to be seen whether Samsung will make available this handset in other markets.

Now this is one truly mixed up clone that doesn't really know where its original heritage lies. We suppose it was supposed to reflect the HTC G2, better known as the HTC Magic. Unfortunately, you know for sure that the $102 price point would translate to run-of-the-mill specifications that won't drop jaws anytime soon - although it does feature dual SIM card slots for the busy executive, an integrated TV tuner and FM radio support alongside a 2.6" touchscreen display at 240 × 320 resolution. This won't run on the Android operating system, that's for sure.

As promised, Nokia's N97 has just received its latest firmware update 11.0.021 just in time for the long weekend, where it will be available in most regions, and for folks who can't get it Over The Air (OTA), there is always the Nokia Software Updater to help you stay up to date. There is a fairly long list of changes and fixes available with the latest firmware update, and you can view the extended list right after the jump.

• USB detection error fix
• PC does not detect N97 or USB charging connection not detected
• Widget
• Home screen online/offline widget crash fix
• Fix for “Alphabetical and Number input are mixed in facebook until end key is pressed
• Widget UI improvement - New facebook widget fixes a problem of Home Screen background visible on soft-key area
• Browser fixes to improve widgets stability.
• MfE related fixes

Folks who have always wanted unlimited voice and data on a smartphone can now look forward to Zer01 Mobile where $79.99 per month will net you unlimited voice (MoIP), data and messaging over AT&T’s data networks, while throwing in another $10 monthly results in unlimited international calling to around 40 countries. There is one catch though - Zer01 will need to install its proprietary software on your handset, or you can always opt for a phone from the company itself that already comes with the software pre-loaded. Only Windows Mobile handsets are supported at this moment, although they're working on compatibility issues with BlackBerry, Android and other operating systems.

You can bet your bottom dollar that the recent iPhone 3GS won't be the last handset released by Apple as a trio of recently unearthed patent applications havef shown. The first of these three is a haptic feedback concept employing a “grid of piezoelectronic actuators” which will work together to form a fully tactile touchscreen. Theoretically speaking, such a device will vibrate the actuators in various combinations at different frequencies in order to provide a range of tactile responses. Another two patents include fingerprint identification as an input method and an RFID tag reader located in the actual display panel of a device so that the device is able to handle RFID tags. No idea on when these patents will be incorporated into a future iPhone iteration, but you can be sure the future is going to be one exciting ride!

Android handsets aren't exactly available in a wide variety to date, but that doesn't mean manufacturers ought to give up on developing new handsets that support that operating system. The Highscreen PP5420 is the latest Android-powered phone from Vobis Computer that will be launched in Russia later next week, where it is also known as the Mobinova Ice. Features include a secondary OLED display/navigation pad alongside the following specifications :-

• Qualcomm MSM7201ATM 528MHz processor
• Google Android OS 1.5
• GSM: 850/900/1800/1900; WCDMA/HSDPA 7.2mbps: 900/2100, HSUPA
• 3” WQVGA TFT LCD touchscreen display
• 3-megapixel autofocus camera
• 256MB ROM
• 128MB RAM
• microSD memory card slot
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• Integrated FM radio
• GPS navigation
• Accelerometer
• TV out

The Dopod A6188 does resemble the HTC Magic in many ways, but it is based on the OMS (Open Mobile System) that is developed by China Mobile, not Android. Features of the A6188 include the following :-

• 3.2" 320 × 480 HVGA touchscreen display
• 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus
• White balance
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth connectivity
• A-GPS navigation
• G-sensor

Strange for India to enforce the ban of cloned handsets from China, considering the country itself isn't exactly that prosperous to make sure everyone can afford a decent, basic branded handset from more reputable manufacturers. According to Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the main reason behind this is safety as several handsets from China come with fake batteries that could be a potential fire hazard. Apart from thatm several handsets ship without the so called “International Mobile Equipment Identity” (IMEI) number that enables these phones to be traced to prevent their use by terrorists. We wonder whether this ban will be enforced by other countries or not...

This is one of those things that actually get you thinking on why didn't you stumble upon such a goldmine in the first place considering the simplicity of it all - the PlayStation iPhone Case. Needless to say, this is a DIY product that boasts a smaller replica of the classic PlayStation, featuring a disc cover that opens for you to store your iPhone within. Heck, it even comes with an extremely detailed controller charm, retailing for $27 in total to turn your friends green with envy.