I use the task manager Remember The Milk on all of my devices, computers and phones alike, and the Verizon Droid I am evaluating is no exception. RTM has been available on Android phones for a while, and it is a nice application for those handsets. Android supports widgets on the home screens, and RTM has a widget in addition to the application. It sits on the home screen showing your task list, and the full app is just a screen tap away. Android has a Quick Search feature that is powerful, and this new version of RTM integrates your tasks with the search feature so your task list can now be searched universally.

The RTM folks were ready for the launch of the Droid last week, and updated the Android app to support the handset’s high-resolution screen. I am using it and it works fine, so those of you with RTM Pro accounts should get the update if you are using an Android phone. This new Android version also supports the lower resolution of the HTC Tattoo.

There are product recalls and there are major product recalls, and this one by Nokia is in the latter category as the company admits 14 million products are affected. The chargers affected are AC -3U, AC-3E and AC-4U. According to Nokia:

Nokia has announced an exchange program for a limited number of Nokia-branded chargers manufactured by a third-party supplier. We have determined that the plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger’s internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket.

If you purchased your 3U or 3E before June 2009, or your 4U before April 2009, then your charger is not subject to the recall.

In a side-by-side comparison, one could argue that pics from the iPhone 3GS look better than those from a Droid. That doesn’t mean you can’t make the Droid photos a little better. Adobe released a mobile Photoshop app for the iPhone a few weeks back, and the same title hits the Android Market today. The free software is limiting in terms of what picture qualities you can change, but I find myself using it on most of my pics. In fact, just yesterday I tweaked this little number using Photoshop for iPhone.

Harvesting the feed corn

What I like about the app is how simple it is. You just choose what function you want and then slide your finger left to right for the adjustment. You can save the photo locally or save and upload to Photoshop.com where you have 2 GB of free storage.

Image Credit: zol.com.cn

Is the venerable ThinkPad name getting slapped on a large netbook/ultra-light notebook? All signs appear to be yes, although many of them are speculation and rumor. Most of these thoughts are coming from ThinkPadToday which states that Jan. 5, 2010 is the date we’ll see the ThinkPad X100e with these potential specs:

• 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo or 1.4 GHz Intel CULV
• 12.1-inch display at 1280 x 800
• 3 GB of RAM
• Integrated mobile broadband options
• Corresponding Ultrabase

With Lenovo’s current IdeaPad line, I’d expect such a device to cost north of $600, if it does indeed appear. I’d chalk this one up to complete rumor except, there have been a fair number of photos floating around. With the legendary ThinkPad keyboards, I’m sure many would like to see this rumor come true.

We recently told you about Connectify, a beta program that turned any Windows 7 computer with Wi-Fi into a virtual hotspot. The program creates a hotspot that is easily shared with others. The company behind Connectify stated it worked on Windows 7 only. It turns out that the virtual router capability is baked right into Windows 7, and the latest Wi-Fi drivers from Intel enable the capability without any other software needed.

It is only logical, but we should point out that the Intel Wi-Fi components must support this capability. Intel’s latest components seem to support it just fine once the proper drivers are installed. You can see the virtual network connection appear once everything is in place. Just follow the simple three-step process outlined in the link above to get a virtual router up and running.

Image courtesy I started something

You’d almost have to have been sleeping under a rock to not have caught word of the other Droid handset coming to Verizon, the HTC Droid Eris. Everybody outside of Verizon, HTC and Google has been talking up the Eris for a few weeks. The three companies are coming out today with the official announcement of the Droid Eris phone coming to Verizon on Nov. 6, as we already knew.

The Droid Eris is Verizon’s second phone in the Droid line, thus the name, and it is basically a more budget-oriented Android phone for Big Red. There may be some confusion with both the Droid (or is that the Droid Droid?) and the Droid Eris launching on the same day, and no doubt some customers will find the Droid Eris’ lower price makes it the preferred phone to buy.

The Eris appears to be an updated HTC Hero, and it packs the HTC Sense interface like the Hero. While the Droid comes stocked with Android 2.0, the Droid Eris (this is getting confusing, isn’t it?) runs on Android 1.5. HTC has stated that it will update the Droid Eris to 2.0 when the Sense interface is compatible with the latest OS version.

The Droid Eris will cost Verizon customers $99 after a $100 rebate, with a 2-year contract.

One of my mobile mantras — No. 4, actually — is to turn off wireless radios and work offline when I can. Solutions like Google’s Gears allows for that approach, but sometimes you don’t need your entire mailbox with you when you’re offline. Starting today, you get a little more control.

Google has now implemented a way to choose which mail you want to use offline with Gmail. Now you can tell Gears to only pull down mail from specific labels and from certain time periods. Only want your Inbox and two other labels from the past week? No problem. Once you have Gmail setup for offline use, just hit the Offline tab in Settings to pick and choose.

The long wait for a Mac version of Orb is over. Orb today announced a Mac client with support for OS X 10.5 and up. The free application streams media, a live view from a webcam feed — hello kitties on my iSight? — and stored photos or video to practically any device. Orb does this over a web connection, so you can listen to DRM-free iTunes music on a non-Apple handset, for example.

“The free Orb application and service enable the streaming of any media type from computers running Windows or the Mac OS, to any other Internet-connected device including laptops, mobile phones, and even TVs connected to a game console.  Users can enjoy all their music, photos, video and webcams anywhere, anytime, without first having to download content before they leave the house, or upload anything to the cloud.  All media stays on the computer and is streamed directly to the remote device.  Unlike other mobile services that ‘trick’ iTunes into downloading titles to non-Apple devices, Orb for Mac simply streams the content over the Internet.”

I’ve used Orb since 2005, and it’s a solid product for those on the go. My most current usage is to stream music from my Windows Home Server directly to my iPhone and Palm Pre, but it can be handy for many other situations as well. In the past, I was streaming recorded television content from a Windows Media Center computer over the web. Orb says that there’s no television tuner support in this first version, but it plans to add such functionality in a future version. I’ll definitely have to look into the webcam bit because the Orb press release says it can stream from a “webcam feed in iTunes.” Last I checked, my cats didn’t have a webcam feed in iTunes, but maybe I can set one up for them so I can spy on them. You can grab the download here, even if you don’t have a webcam feed.

Verizon really does want to differentiate itself from the pack, doesn’t it? Aside from getting sued for allegedly comparing its 3G network coverage and allowing free GPS navigation on a smartphone, it’s treading where Sprint has decided not to walk — smartphone tethering. The Motorola Droid will indeed support Internet tethering, Sascha Segan at Gearlog reports, allowing customers to use their Android handset as a 3G modem. Sascha expects this to be a $15 monthly fee, which sounds about right based on Verizon’s current offerings. The Broadband Access Connect plan should hit the Droid in early 2010.

About four years ago, I used a phone as a wireless broadband modem all day long. It worked perfectly well over USB or over Bluetooth. But I was in a relatively fixed location, and I had access to an electrical outlet for my computer, which in turn charged my phone over USB. These days, the only times my mobile devices see outlets is overnight, so I’m not so sure I’d rely on phone tethering for all of my 3G needs. For occasional use it would work just fine for me. And I do have Internet tethering on my iPhone as a backup, which really saved the day once before. I’m curious — would you consider using the Droid or another tethered phone for a primary 3G connection?

We’ve already heard that the top-tier Windows phone, the HTC HD2, would be coming to the U.S. in early 2010, and having received word from HTC, it is now official. The HD2 is soon to be available in Europe and Asia. HTC cannot confirm at this time pricing or which carrier in the U.S. will carry the HD2.

The HD2 is the thin smartphone with the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor running that gorgeous 4.3-inch screen that houses the first WinMo capacitive digitizer. The HD2 is easily looking like the WinMo phone to have, and it will be very interesting to see which U.S. carrier picks it up.