Palm announced that the Centro smartphone is now available unlocked for U.S. customers. Now offered on Sprint, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and in an unlocked GSM version, Centro gives U.S. customers the ability to choose the mobile phone that’s right for them. Palm also announced that Google Maps for mobile with My Location on Centro is available for Centro starting tomorrow, giving customers faster access to local maps and driving directions.

You’ve heard the stories about a stolen or lost laptop putting the personal data of hundreds or even thousands of people at risk. You know that mobile systems are a breeding ground for worms and viruses. You know you should take precautions so that bad luck or carelessness doesn’t put the identity of others in the wrong hands–and your company’s good name in the mud. But where to start? Here are 10 reasons why your company’s laptops are at risk, and 10 ways to close the gaps.

Loose lips at the Federal Communications Commission are predicting that the agency will find Verizon guilty of violating consumer privacy as early as June 20 for actions affecting customers’ ability to change providers. The decision would reverse an earlier staff recommendation that Verizon did not violate any FCC rules.

To anyone who has ever tried to transfer his or her number to a new carrier, this finding is hardly surprising.

According to news reports, the FCC now believes Verizon used customers’ private records to improperly attempt to retain customers who asked to transfer their telephone numbers to other carriers. The anticipated vote is in response to a complaint filed by cable companies Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House Networks, which all offer their own voice services.

Tablet PCs have recently come into the news as the next generation of computers, because Windows 7 will be supporting multi-touch features, so everyone is getting into a bit of a tizzy about it. But over the last few years, with the help of technology, written notes are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Sure, there are some subjects which using pen and paper more useful, and using a tablet device isn’t always to everyone’s taste.

The Associated Press claimed that it was ready to change to face the new Internet world–and that meant not just being a gatekeeper, but joining in the conversation. As noted at the time, AP execs said all that, only to immediately follow up with plans that looked like it was trying to become a new type of gatekeeper. It didn’t help that the company had also just sued VeriSign’s Moreover division for linking to AP stories along with a title and a tiny excerpt. That sort of thing is clearly fair use–but the AP doesn’t seem to think so. And now, it’s expanding its target list. Rather than just going after the big aggregators (surprisingly, Google settled), it appears that the Associated Press is going after bloggers for merely posting a linked headline and a tiny snippet of text from the article.

Earlier this year, Jorge Sosa decided to gingerly dip his toes into the podcasting pool. Several months into this experiment, he feels he can safely tell anyone who’s podcast-curious to come on in — the water’s fine. If you need a little help getting started, read on and he’ll share what’s worked and what hasn’t.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

DiskAid is a freeware utility that allows you to use your iPhone (or iPod touch) as a portable hard drive. All you do is install the program (it’s available for both Windows and Mac), then connect your device. DiskAid automatically detects it and provides a familiar tree-like interface for creating folders, copying files, and so on. Best of all, you don’t have to “jailbreak” your unit in order to use the program.

To celebrate the start of Wimbledon 2008, Proporta will be offering a free LED Key ring with every order placed on the 23rd June.

To receive your free product, simply place an order via Proporta.com on the 23rd June and an LED Key ring will be included in your order.

Innovelis announced the release of BudFits, for preventing iPod and iPhone earbuds from falling out during physical activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding, running, cycling, and other types of exercise.

Constructed of soft, flexible rubber, BudFits snap onto Apple earbuds and then wrap over the top of the ear. In doing so, they ensure iPod and iPhone earbuds will not fall out and also maximize user comfort by eliminating the need to wedge earbuds into the ear canal to keep the earbuds in place. BudFits quickly snap onto earbuds to provide extra support and comfort, yet they can be easily removed for times when extra support and comfort is not necessary.

SYWARE, developer of database tools for business and personal productivity, announced that it has enhanced its popular database development software, Visual CE, to support Intermec Windows Mobile devices having an integrated bar code scanner. The combined solution allows organizations with limited resources to quickly develop databases for a wide variety of scanning tasks, from inventory control to transportation to health care.

SYWARE’s Visual CE, together with Intermec’s Windows Mobile devices, enables companies to implement their own custom designed and low-cost scanning solutions. Visual CE’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows users to create powerful data collection and information access applications with the extensive functionality typically available only through expensive high-end programming.