BEN PARR on Mobile

Next-Gen Phone Faceoff: iPhone 4G vs. Droid Incredible. The next battle of the smartphone wars is about to begin between iPhone and Android.

Microsoft Kin Phone Demo. Earlier today, Microsoft launched Kin, a new series of touchscreen mobile smartphones focused on social networking, photography and the needs of Generation Y, its target audience.

After the event, we had the opportunity to try out both version of the phone for ourselves: a square 4 GB version and a rectangular 8 GB model. In a lot of ways, it's the spiritual (and social) successor to the T-Mobile Sidekick, whose parent company was bought by Microsoft in 2008. We asked Microsoft to provide us with a demo of the device and its capabilities. Verizon iPhone: What We Know So Far. Update 1/1/11: The Verizon iPhone has officially launched and will be in stores in early February.

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Released [SCREENSHOTS] BlackBerry users, LinkedIn has finally arrived: The business social network has just launched LinkedIn for BlackBerry, version 1.0.

The new LinkedIn BlackBerry app is now available for download online and will be available shortly at the BlackBerry App World store. The app not only provides you with access to your connections, invitations and messages, but its deep integration with BlackBerry Mail, Contacts and Calendar also allows you to integrate contacts, get LinkedIn mail in your inbox and much more. Here are the details, along with a boatload of exclusive screenshots of LinkedIn for BlackBerry that we've obtained: BlackBerry for LinkedIn: The Overview LinkedIn's new BlackBerry app is not as feature-rich as LinkedIn for iPhone, simply due to the limitations of the software and hardware.

Still, for a BlackBerry app, it does everything you'd want a LinkedIn app to do and then some. Ben Parr.com - iPhone - Mobile app download - butterscotch.com. Foursquare's Growth Not Slowing Down: 725,000 Users, 22 Million. Mobile networking. A few days ago, I wrote an article asking how you would rebuild and change Facebook given the opportunity.

It got me thinking some more, so I wanted to share my thoughts on the future of social networking, Web 3.0, and what role both could play in our lives. Sorry, but I’m doing this one in parts. Otherwise I might be up all night. So let me start with three statements: I believe that social networks have the potential to transform how we manage and run our lives. Firefox for Android Pre-Alpha Released. Early adopters, it's time to rejoice: Mozilla has officially released the "pre-alpha" of Firefox for Android — a.k.a.

Fennec. Is Palm Crumbling Before Our Eyes? Oh how the mighty have fallen. Apple to Launch Two New iPhones, One for Verizon [REPORT] A new report from The Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple will reveal not one, but two new iPhones this year.

One would be based on GSM/UMTS standard that powers AT&T's network, while another would be compatible with CDMA, the standard used by Verizon. The announcement would come in June or July, when Apple normally announces new iPhone models. Opera Mini Coming to the iPhone. In a surprise to many, Opera announced that Apple has approved the Opera Mini mobile web browser for the iPhone and iPod touch.

It will be available in the iPhone app store for free in the next 24 hours. Opera's mobile browser has been the subject of some controversy — many people believed that Apple would reject the application because it directly competed with an Apple-built app, Safari. Opera built and submitted the application anyway, turning it into a media event by creating a counter that showed how much time had passed since the company submitted Opera Mini to the App Store. We don't know what debates occurred among Apple's App Store team after Opera submitted Opera Mini for review, but we'd sure like to know. We did not expect the app to be approved by Apple, based on its rejection of other apps in the past that shared functionality with the iPhone's built-in apps. We look forward to trying out Opera Mini and will be sure to give you our review of the mobile browser soon. Kin: Microsoft Launches Social Networking Phones [LIVE]

Today, Microsoft is launching its own Microsoft-branded phones targeted at younger users, “Kin,” also known as Project Pink . There are two models of the phone. Ben Parr - Android - Mobile app download - butterscotch.com. Next-Gen iPhone Defeats Droid Incredible in Reader Poll. Oddly Together — Mashable's Apple Ad Platform Claims are Mush. Who spiked Ben Parr’s coffee with Apple “reality distortion field" Kool-Aid?

The Mashable co-editor is gushing about Apple’s rumored mobile advertising platform and how it poses a credible threat to Google. Based on what? Among his other talents, Ben writes science fiction. Perhaps he confuses fact with fiction? Did he have a flashforward, another scifi concept, and see the future? I single out Ben because his post so aptly exemplifies the journalistic problems with new media blogging and increasing media bias favoring Apple that I’ve recently written about: Could Apple Actually Beat Google in Mobile Advertising?

The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.

On Thursday, Apple will unveil iPhone OS 4.0. It's not the only thing the company is expected to reveal, though. As we wrote last week, Apple is slated to launch its iAd mobile advertising platform, based off of its acquisition of Quattro Wireless in January. If true, the move would place Apple into direct competition with Google, whose acquisition of AdMob is still pending regulatory approval. Online advertising is Google's bread and butter.