Items tagged with Mobile Phone
The mobile phone industry is right next to the cable industry with seemingly endless schemes to charge customers more money. Common practices across the entire mobile industry include charges for exceeding arbitrary data caps and seemingly endless attempts to push grandfathered customers to more expensive plans. AT&T has hatched a new scheme to extract more money out of customers on old Mobile Share Value data plans. An email has turned up from an AT&T user on one of those plans that was sent out by the company this week. The email indicates that AT&T is giving them 15GB of "bonus" data. Normally a bonus is a good thing, but in this instance, the AT&T bonus costs customers on...
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Back on March 28th hothardware.com alluded to the imminent release of a second Windows 10 for Phone technical preview, and yesterday Microsoft's Gabe Aul confirmed on Twit.tv's Windows Weekly podcast that the new build will be available as of this Friday, April 10th, at 10AM PST (1PM EST). Specific details of the new Windows 10 for Phone build are not yet available. What did come to light, though, is that the Lumia Icon and the 930 (the Icon's international variant) will not be supported in this update round due to a bug with device scaling (a bug that is expected to be addressed in time for the ensuing build). The other 35 Microsoft phones cited for update at the end of March, though, remain...
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Sick of wireless contracts? Many people are, and major carriers have been looking for ways to keep those customers happy. AT&T’s solution launched today in the form of Aio (pronounced, improbably, “A-O”), a new wireless service that lets customers pay month-to-month. Right now, the service is only available in a few major cities, including Houston, Orlando, and Tampa, but AT&T has more cities in the works and expects to announce them “over the coming weeks.” All of Aio’s plans have unlimited data, text, and voice, but the rate plans determines how much of that data you can consume at high speed. Generally, the plans look like they’ll vary from...
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Do you remember what you were doing 19 years ago today? Odds are high you didn't own a mobile phone, though you may have been rocking a beeper (yes kids, beepers used to be cool). But believe it or not, the very first SMS text message was sent off nearly two decades ago, much to the bane of linguists who twitch every time they see a shorthand message make a mockery of the English (or any other) language. The very first text message was actually grammatically sound (mostly). It read, "Merry Christmas," and other than the lack of a punctuation mark, there isn't much for linguists to complain about. Today it's just as likely to be written as, "omg m3rry xma5!" In any event, the world's first text...
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San Francisco, home of the Giants and land of sometimes questionable mandates, like the one passed last year that would require cell phone retailers to slap a label on their devices indicating radiation levels. The measure created a bit of a firestorm on the Internet over whether such a label was really needed or simply ridiculous. For now, San Francisco is betting on the latter. According to a report in The San Francisco Chronicle, city officials have now decided to delay implementing what is known as the "Right to Know" ordinance, placing it on indefinite hold, likely until a different version takes its place. So why the change of heart? Image Credit: Flickr (Salim Virji) It's not just the...
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You're confused about your wireless bill plan. So much so, that you've gone and chosen the wrong one applicable to your needs. Your failure to accurately assess voice, text, and data usage is costing you big time. Whoa there, Billy! Before you go and fire off an angry comment, remember we're just the messenger, so don't shoot us (and for the record, we don't want you to shoot anyone). We're passing along what the self-proclaimed "money-saving search engine" called BillShrink is saying. According to BillShrink's latest survey, more than a quarter of a million wireless subscribers pay, on average, $336 too much per year because they're not accurately calculating their voice, text, and data usage....
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With all the talk of Android, iOS, Hummingbird/Snapdragon processors, and all other sorts of smartphone goodies, it's easy to forget that some people still like to roll with feature phones. And at $30/month now standard for a data plan, often-times attached to two-year service agreements (totaling $720 just in data charges for the life the contract), who can blame them? Certainly not Nokia, which today announced the launch of two new feature phones, the C2-01 and X2-01. According to Nokia, "both aim to offer maximum functionality for the lowest price possible, but with a different emphasis to each to provide a fit for the needs of as many people as possible." Sounds swell, but what does that...
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Handset makers take note. If you want to cook up quarterly profits, the recipe is easy: Stock up on Google's not so "secret sauce" (as iSuppli calls it) Android platform and serve hot. According to iSuppli, this is exactly what's been working, and out of the Top 10 smartphone brands in the second quarter, the majority were rocking Google's delicious open-source OS. "Every brand that has put effort into designing smart phones using Google’s mobile operating system is riding the Android wave," said Tina Teng, senior analyst for wireless communications at iSuppli. "From the spectacular growth of HTC and Samsung, to the steady advances of Motorola, Android is the secret sauce for smart phone...
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You have to hand it to HTC, the handset maker who has found a way to be profitable by bombarding mobile phone market with a near-endless stream of smartphone models. The strategy is paying off, and quite handsomely -- HTC on Tuesday said its second quarter net profit jumped by 33 percent, The Wall Street Journal reports. It's nothing but obscene numbers across the board. Take revenue, for example, which ballooned by 58 percent in the second quarter, rising from NT$38.20 billion to a record NT$60.35 billion. "HTC's second-quarter earnings results is better than its original second-quarter guidance, [as] both June and second-quarter revenues continuously hit record highs," said HTC. Let the good...
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Move over dedicated media players. Samsung today announced that its upcoming Bada-powered Wave will be the world's first mobile phone to be DivX Certified for HD video playback at 720p resolution. In addition, Samsung said it is working with DivX on HD Certification for its upcoming Android-powered Galaxy S smartphone."We were very excited to become the first manufacturer to offer DivX Certified mobile phones to consumes in 2007, and since that time we've continued to work together to help evolve the mobile video experience," said Younghee Lee, Vice President of Samsung's Mobile Communications business. "Now, we are able to extend that spirit of innovation with the first DivX HD mobile devices,...
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As users of today's mobile phones and other portable devices demand increased storage capacities, SanDisk is striving to meet those needs with its new SanDisk iNAND Embedded Flash Drives (EFD). The SanDisk iNAND EFDs provide up to 64GB of capacity in a single device and can be used for boot, system code, and mass storage functions. SanDisk Doubles Storage Capacity for Mobile Phones and Portable Devices with Introduction of 64GB iNAND Embedded Flash Drives Support for e.MMC 4.4 Interface Now Available INAND EFDs Perform Boot, System Code and Mass Storage Functions With Single Device SanDisk’s Advanced 32nm 3-bit-per-cell (X3) NAND Flash Technology Reduces Complexity of High Capacity Embedded SolutionsBARCELONA,...
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The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal is reporting that Target plans to outsource its mobile phone operation to RadioShack subsidiary Kiosk Operations. Earlier this month, the subsidiary opened kiosks in about 100 Target stores in California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington. The partners plans to roll out the kiosks to all 1,700 Target stores sometime next year. You'll be able to distinguish the Kiosk Operations employees from Target sales associates by their black shirts, instead of the red shirts that are typically worn by Target's staff. The kiosks themselves are branded Bullseye Mobile Solutions. Target's current prepaid and post-paid wireless offerings...
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If you’ve been following news and announcements surrounding the Android operating system, you may have picked up on the fact that Google hasn’t announced Android 2.0 or the SDK. An official announcement hasn’t stopped Verizon from talking about this new OS, however. In fact, Verizon has said the upcoming Motorola Droid will run Android version 2.0. Word on the street says this much-hyped new Android phone will officially be announced tomorrow, October 28. Two other recently released Android smartphones, the Samsung Moment and the Motorola CLIQ still run older versions of Android. Motorola has customized the interface on the CLIQ, but it’s still not Android 2.0. Looking at it another way, Verizon...
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If you’re the reason why wireless operators offer insurance for mobile phones, then Sonim's latest phone might be just what you need. Sonim claims the new XP3 Quest is the only mobile phone available today with an IP67 rating, meaning it is completely dust resistant and waterproof in depths of up to 3.3 feet. What’s even better, the phone can survive being dropped from up to 6.5 feet onto concrete, submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, and tolerates temperatures from -5 to +130 degrees. In addition, the XP3 Quest is capable of providing 1,500 hours of standby time and up to 18 hours of talk time with its lithium ion battery. Other features of the XP3 Quest include a customized keypad with...
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Alltel introduced a new phone from LG that somewhat resembles the form factor of the T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream. This phone features a 3-inch touchscreen, 3 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard, EVDO Rev A, and GPS via Alltel Navigation. To take full advantage of the 3G speeds supported by the phone, the phone also has a full Internet browser. This phone will be available for $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate for new and existing eligible customers who sign-up for a qualifying one-year Smart-Choice Pack service agreement. Additional details about the phone can be found in the press release below. Customers get the wireless trifecta with the introduction of LG Tritan™ by Alltel Wireless...
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Zer01 Communications is a new mobile phone service provider that promises to offer a nationwide unlimited voice and data plan for $69.95 per month (including taxes and fees), with no contracts and using unlocked phones. These are truly unlimited plans, without any qualifying quotation marks around the word "unlimited"--you won't find any data caps here. The reason why Zer01 can do this is that the company is taking a very different and innovative approach with its new service that actually bypasses the traditional "carrier circuit-switched channels," and instead sends "voice communications through a VoIP system and onto a virtual private network that accesses the Internet." Pharos Traveler...
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There are six states - California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Washington (as well as the District of Columbia) which ban the use of cell phones unless using a headset or hands-free setup while driving. But the National Safety Council wants to take things further: they are recommending a complete ban on cell phone use behind the wheel. The NSC was founded in 1913 and formally recognized as a safety leader by an Act of Congress in 1953 that granted a Congressional Charter to it. According to their site, they are "the only major national entity dedicated to safety of people in all aspects of their lives: at work, on the roads and in homes and communities." The group's president...
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It’s finally official: Verizon Wireless is now the largest carrier in the U.S., with more than 83.7 million total customers. As expected from the terms of the transaction, Verizon Wireless paid approximately $5.9 billion for the equity of Alltel and took on approximately $22.2 billion of debt. Before approving the deal, the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission required that Verizon divest overlapping properties in 105 markets across 24 states to preserve competition. A full listing of the areas that will be sold is available here. The licenses and assets for the markets to be divested are currently in a management trust, which will continue to operate the...
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Debuting this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas will be Motorola's latest mobile devices, including a phone that offsets its own carbon footprint, the company announced today.The plastic to make the MOTO W233 Renew is derived from recycled water bottles. That also makes it "100 percent recyclable," according to Motorola. The company worked with Carbonfund.org to offset "the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation."The packaging is also 22 percent smaller than usual and the box and paperwork that comes with it are on "100 percent post-consumer recycled paper." You also get a postage-paid...
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While the United States can't even get its act together in terms of electronic voting machines, which seemingly flip votes, or don't record votes, or any number of myriad bugs, the country of Estonia has decided it's time to enter a truly digital voting age. Actually, in terms of Estonia, they are just expanding their entry into the digital voting age: last year they could vote in the parliamentary elections via the Internet. Yet as accusations and rumor swirl in the U.S. over hacking of electronic voting machines, how will Estonia prevent such problems? Well, according to Raul Kaidro, spokesman of the SK Certification Center, the system has already been thoroughly tested, and requires voters...
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Yet another reason to keep your teen from talking you into a cell phone?Forget about passing notes in study hall; some teens are now using their cell phones to flirt and send nude pictures of themselves.The instant text, picture and video messages have become part of some teens' courtship behavior, police and school officials said.The messages often spread quickly and sometimes find their way to public Web sites.Yes, yes, we know a lot of parents cite safety reasons for giving teens and younger cell phones, but it seems like they're getting access to things they shouldn't have without the responsibility or thinking that would prevent them from abusing it. Readers?...
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Israeli mobile phone technology company Modu has announced their modular mobile phone system, the modu. By including only the components necessary to send and receive voice and data, their module is designed to be integrated into "modu mates," and "modu jackets": mobile phone skins and various electronic devices that need mobile connectivity. Leading mobile network operators (MNOs) with a total of tens of millions of subscribers have already committed to modu, signing strategic partnerships that will see the first modu products available in the fourth quarter of 2008. The MNOs are Telecom Italia’s mobile division TIM, BeeLine (VimpelCom) of Russia and Cellcom in Israel.modu ecosystem partners...
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