This great article compares several eBook providers and gives their price for Stephen King’s novel Cell and Tina Brown’s The Diana Chronicles for comparison purposes. This will help you get a feel for how the prices of eBooks from top authors vary and where to get the best deals. One thing that surprised us: some stores offered the identical book for almost 60% less money than some of the other stores.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

Mobile ad-hoc networks have the potential to turn the dream of being connected at anytime into reality. Before our dreams come true, there are a few obstacles in the way. In this article, Contributing Editor Humayun Bakht takes a look at those obstacles and how to work around them.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

A well-known hacker claims to have overcome restrictions on Apple’s iPhone, allowing highly technical users to bypass AT&T Inc.’s network to use the phone’s Internet and music features.

In a post dated July 3 on his blog, Jon Johansen, 23, a prolific hacker of consumer electronics gadgets since he was a teenager in Norway, said “I’ve found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone” without signing up for AT&T service.

“The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!” he wrote on his long-running blog, which is combatively named “So Sue Me.” The post was entitled “iPhone Independence Day,” a play on the July 4 U.S. holiday.

The site contained technical details for other hackers, as well as links to software necessary to complete the process.

Oops, I’m Late! is a Windows Mobile app that takes a look at your location via GPS, compares it to your appointment in Pocket Outlook, and then if things are going badly auto-sends an SMS message to attendees (or your secretary) letting them you know you’re en-route but late. It’s a little steep at $69.99 for the Standard and $99.99 for the Pro (the Pro lets you use email instead of SMS and also set a default contact rather than just the attendees).

Pocket PC TV Guide v1.2 is a program for the Pocket PC to get the latest TV schedules very quick and easy on your mobile phone or handheld so that you are always informed about what’s on TV, wherever you are. Includes Dutch and International TV schedules like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Eurosport and many more.

ASUS has launched the A696 ultra-slim GPS PDA which is described as a “power accessory.” The ASUS A696 is pretty skinny at 1.57cm but manages to incorporate full GPS functionality without a protruding antenna, and is encased in stainless steel with that now all-important anti-glare 3.5-inch touchscreen. The A696 GPS capabilities come courtesy of Destinator Technologies’ routing engine and navigation content and it boasts a QuickNav button making it quicker and easier to travel directly to a predetermined address or POI.

Eight years of trying to sell BlackBerrys in China has paid off for Research In Motion, which finally won permission from the Chinese authorities to sell its handsets there. The breakthrough could help the Canadian company continue its wave of financial good news.

RIM co-CEO James L. Balsillie is reported to have made the announcement in a conference call with analysts last week. According to an unnamed manager in RIM’s Beijing office, cited in Canada’s Globe and Mail on Wednesday, RIM received approval from the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry in June.

Microsoft expects to take an earnings charge of more than $1 billion for the quarter that ended in June related to expenses it will incur fixing faulty Xbox 360 machines.

On Thursday, Microsoft said it will expand its warranty coverage to Xbox 360 customers who have a certain type of hardware failure. The new program is a result of an “unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles,” Microsoft said.

Customers who have a general hardware failure that is indicated by three flashing red lights on their consoles will now be covered by a three-year warranty starting on the date of purchase. Microsoft will repair or replace the console, including cost of shipping, within that time frame. The company will also reimburse customers who have already paid for the repairs.

Linux-powered robots are flocking to Atlanta this week to compete in the Robocup scientific competition. The eleventh annual event has attracted at least two Linux-based designs aiming to replace Sony’s AIBO as the de facto hardware platform for standard Robocup league play.

Robocup organizers say that in more than a decade, robotic soccer has evolved considerably. Players reportedly now move quickly, have little difficulty finding and shooting the ball, and can even show signs of teamwork.

Agendus for Windows Mobile has been optimized to handle the dynamics of your everyday life, and provide a level of proactive personal assistance that so far has only been available from a “real-life” assistant, not a Windows Mobile-based phone or PDA.

This update introduces a new view, the “Contact View Compact Mode” which allows for faster navigation through contact lists. The new view is reachable via the soft menu as well as the toolbar’s “Contact” icon. Other new features include support for the Pocket Outlook appointment status field and German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese versions.

Additionally, a number of improvements and functionality refinements have been brought in as per users’ feedback and suggestions.