Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category
- February 11, 2012 2:24 am
Not that this is a common theme yet, but AT&T is at it again. They keep digging up new ways to fist their users and create a loyale user base of pissed off customers. If you have been a customer of the GSM giant during the last 10 years, you’ll know that when you go to upgrade your device, you’ll be slapped with an $18 upgrade fee. Well, since the fees associated with upgrading a device for us are costing them more money, they’ll now pass that along to us.
Beginning this Sunday, the 12th of February, customers upgrading to that shiny new device will see the $36 fee. So if you were planning on getting an upgrade in, we’d suggest picking it up tomorrow. We know how expensive AT&T is, and shoving this doubled up charge at us is ridiculous. The only cost I can see this causing for AT&T is the hourly wage for the slow a$$ employees clicking their mouse behind the counter as I stand and wait.
Anyone still surprised that AT&T likes giving us the shaft at this point? Hopefully we’ll see a quicker upgrade process, that’ll be worth the extra $18!!
- February 10, 2012 9:43 am
PhoneArena has managed to snag a few images of an unannounced HTC device (see above) that features a design reminiscent of the Incredible 1 & 2. They speculate it could be a possible Incredible 3 or upcoming HTC Fireball.
As far as specs go, there isn’t anything breathtaking to be had: 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3″+ AMOLED display, 1 GB of RAM, 8mp/VGA rear/front cameras, LTE, and Android 4.0 ICSfar too long, wouldn’t you say?
It may sound like everyone in the world is picking on Google/Google Wallet/Android about “security”. Truth be told, we’re not meaning to (at least not today). But this latest issue is something that Google Wallet users will want to know as it could put them in the financial hot seat should their phone be lost, stolen or simply sold.
The new bug: A thief/hacker can delete the user data for Google Wallet on the device, set up a new account complete with new pin, and then select an option to use a previously used/saved pre-paid card.
Bug #2 was found by TheSmartphoneChamp team and have backed it up with video proof. We’d try it ourselves but we don’t have a Google Wallet capable device. That said, the same way to protect yourself in this instance (similar to the first security scare from earlier this week) is to put either a password or lockscreen pattern on your phone. It might be inconvenient for you now, but we’re fairly certain having to deal with stolen money/personal information will be a much bigger pain in your ass should your phone get snatched.
While we’ve known for some time that HTC had a slew of handsets lined up for Android 4.0 ICS in 2012, no specific time frames were given. Today, the uncertainty gets a bit clearer with HTC’s latest update which says we can expect Android 4.0 updates to hit the HTC Sensation, Sensation 4G and HTC Sensation XE by “end of March”, with the Sensation XL “following soon after”. That only leaves the HTC Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Design 4G, Incredible S, Desire S and Desire HD to go.
Be sure to keep checking back as we’ll keep you updated on the latest HTC (and other manufacturers’) Android 4.0 update schedules as they’re announced/leaked.
- February 9, 2012 12:54 pm
The process in which Android manufacturers update their hardware is pretty maddening. It goes something like this: New Android update is released by Google –> wait 2-8 months –> release to customers. So when Motorola’s Senior Vice President of Motorola’s Enterprise Business unit, Christy Wyatt, sat down to answer a few questions with PC World regarding Android’s upgrade process, one would think we’d get some juicier details on the inner workings of Moto’s system for Android upgrades and a valid reason for why updates take so long. Humorously, the response Wyatt gave to PC World is the same thing we’ve said time and time again — there are too many useless (our emphasis) variations in hardware that ultimately mean more time is needed to developer for each different model.
Another gem: customization (by Motorola) is also cited as a reason for update slowdowns. Our response is the same as it was to the “too much hardware” comment — get rid of it. The empty UI skins that manufacturers slap on top of Android add zero value. Let us stress that skins and manufacturer apps are two different things. The former is a waste of everyone’s time while the latter are generally pretty lackluster too, though do offer up some added functionality here and there.
Further casting doubt on the legitimacy of Wyatt’s response is the fact that individual Android developers whom have far less time, money, or living bodies to devout to updating hardware manage to get it down far faster. Why a company as large as Moto (or HTC, Samsung and LG) can’t have this stuff handled in a more timely manner is a conundrum that might have even stumped Einstein himself.
Motorola is calling out the very things they do as problems getting in the way of speedier Android updates yet they continually shoot themselves in the foot. How do these people get hired?
Tweetbot 2.0 has been teased around twitter for the last couple of weeks. Though if you follow either @tapbots_paul or the official @tweetbot account, you’ll know the taunting has been especially brutal the last couple of weeks. But the waiting is finally over. Tweetbot 2.0 is here. Hop past the break for a breakdown of the new features and screenshots…
- February 8, 2012 11:06 am
Selling gadget accessories is an increasingly difficult business, exponentially so for iPhone accessory designers/makers. There are so many different products out there chasing after the same few goals that it’s literally almost not worth it to jump in at this point. But every once in a while we get surprised. Is G-Form’s new X-Protect rugged iPhone case something that would surprise us? We’ve yet to test one (working on it). But we’re certainly intrigued by the 82 MPH hockey stick their X-Protect covered iPhone took to the gut.
The X-Protect (and similarly designed, equally robust Extreme Grid) are now available for pre-order over at G-Form’s website – $39.95.
Video of what an 82 MPH slap shot against an iPhone 4/4S might look like after the break…
A teaser image showing what appears to be LG’s upcoming MWC handset of choice, the “Optimus Vu”, has trickled out. Physically speaking it’s about as simple and plain as a smartphone gets. On top of that, the dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm processor, 8 GB of storage, 1 GB of RAM, 8mp shooter, NFC, and Android 2.3 aren’t exactly grabbing our attention like “quad-core” or “Android 4.0″ would. Though, the 5″ display is somewhat unique all things considered. That said, should Android manufacturers even bother with “high-end” Android devices if they’re not going to ship with Android 4.0 moving forward? We don’t think so. LG?
For those looking for a bit more, Engadget has a photo of a phone that is supposedly the Optimus Vu in the flesh. Thoughts?
The HTC Sensation, a pretty awesome Android phone in its own regard, is now officially available for pre-order from Clove UK sans color. Besides the hue-shifting appearance, the whitened XE is otherwise identical to the original: 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3″ qHD (540 x 960) display, 768 MB of RAM/4 GB of ROM, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera w/ 1080p video recording capability, a 1,730 mAh battery, Beats Audio and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Look for the white Sensation XE to begin shipping on February 20th to our friends across the pond for £340 .
