Author: Dan Graziano

An NVIDIA executive was recently quoted saying that mobile devices will soon begin to outperform the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The company’s chief executive, Jen-Hsun Huang, gave proof of this statement at NVIDIA’s investor meeting earlier this week. The CEO showed off the company’s next-generation mobile chip, known as Kepler Mobile, and claimed that it is capable of delivering the same high quality graphics found in its desktop line of graphics cards. Huang said that thanks to NVIDIA, mobile devices will be able to play high-end PC games such as Battlefield 3.

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T-Mobile made headlines earlier this year for its decision to end carrier subsidies for mobile devices while completely scrapping wireless contracts. But rather than requiring subscribers to spend $600 all at once for a smartphone, T-Mobile allowed qualifying customers to take part in a convenient payment plan. The carrier offers popular handsets such as the iPhone 5 and HTC One for $99 down and payments of $20 per month for 24 months. According to an internal document obtained by Droid-Life, Verizon may be looking to follow in T-Mobile’s footsteps.

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Facebook (FB) on Friday was true to its word and released Facebook Home for some Android devices. The application, which was announced last week, is only available on select smartphones in the U.S. running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher. Compatible devices include the HTC One, HTC One X, HTC One X+, Galaxy S4, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Note II and of course HTC’s (2498) First. Facebook Home gives Android smartphones a complete overhaul with a constant feed of pictures and status updates from users’ Facebook friends. The company also updated its Android Messenger application to include the new Chat Heads feature, which allows users to interact with friends even when another application is open. Facebook Home is available now as a free download on the Google Play store.

Many wireless providers in the U.S. require customers to sign a two-year service agreement when purchasing a new smartphone, though some still allow subscribers to upgrade to a new device with a full subsidy once every 20 months. This may soon become a thing of the past, however. Verizon (VZ) on Friday announced that it will no longer be offering early upgrades to its customers. The carrier will allow subscribers who are set to receive an upgrade prior to September 1st, meaning their contract was going to expire on or before January 1st, 2014, to upgrade early. Customers who won’t be eligible for an upgrade until after September 1st will have to wait until the end of their 24-month agreements to buy a new smartphone, unless they wish to do so at full retail price. Verizon has also announced that it will remove all unused credits from its retired New Every 2 program on April 15th.

The New York Police Department has secretly equipped officers with a new weapon to help them fight crime. Roughly 400 Android smartphones have been distributed to officers since last summer as part of a pilot program taking place in New York City, The New York Times reported. The phones are unable to make or receive calls and instead use a data connection to gain access to an individual’s arrest files. An application on the device can look up a person’s criminal history, verify his or her identity with a police photograph and even display information from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

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Samsung (005930) showcased a number of unique feature at its Galaxy S4 press event last month in New York City. The company touted the smartphone’s ability to pause a video when a user looked away from the screen and its new camera technology that allowed for the front and rear-facing cameras to operate at the same time. The Galaxy S4 is expected to shatter all sorts of records when it is released later this month, however one company is trying to get in Samsung’s way.

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The chief executive of Verizon (VZ) revealed on Wednesday that video streaming accounts for 50% of the carrier’s network traffic, FierceWireless reported. Speaking at the National Association of Broadcasters, CEO Lowell McAdam noted that the company’s investment in its high-speed LTE network has benefited its customers and made high-quality streaming video possible. The executive said that with 3G you could only watch small video clips that would require tons of buffering, however with 4G LTE there are endless possibilities. Verizon believes streaming video will continue to be popular with its customers and estimates that by 2017 it could make up two-thirds on all traffic over its network. The CEO previously revealed that 23% of its wireless subscribers were using LTE smartphones as of January. McAdam also noted that Apple added LTE capabilities to the iPhone 5 only after he met with Steve Jobs and sold him on the benefits of the new high-speed technology.

A hacker claims that a single Android handset can be used to hijack an entire plane, Net-Security reported. Security consultant and trained commercial pilot Hugo Teso explained during a speech at the Hack In The Box Conference in Amsterdam this week that it is possible to develop an Android application that can attack a plane’s Flight Management Systems. He said that he could take complete control of an airplane and have it “dance to his tune.”

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BlackBerry (BBRY) is said to be preparing a major update for its BlackBerry 10 smartphones that could debut later this month. According to BBNews.pl, BlackBerry 10.1 will include a variety of improvement such as a faster camera, added support for HDR photos and the ability to send PIN messages from within the BlackBerry Hub. The update is also said to support an active connection from a BlackBerry device to a computer that will allow users to easily access PC files. The latest rumors suggest that BlackBerry 10.1 could arrive on smartphones at the end of this month or early May.

LG (066570) was the first to bring OLED and 4K resolution televisions to market and now it is planning another milestone with flexible display technology. According to the Korea Times, LG plans to ship its first batch of flexible displays later this year. South Korean rival Samsung (005930) showcased its “Youm” flexible displays at the Consumer Electronic Show this past January, however the company doesn’t expect it to be available in consumer devices for several years. LG is making a big push into mobile, recently finding success with its new Optimus G Pro smartphone, and a flexible display could be the next big thing to get the public’s attention.

LG’s (066570) latest flagship smartphone may be heading to the U.S. as early as next month. According to Android Central, the Optimus G Pro could arrive on AT&T (T) on May 10th. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.5-inch full HD 1080p display, a 1.7GHz quad core Snapdragon 600 processor and a 13-megapixel rear camera. The Optimus G Pro also includes LTE connectivity, NFC, 32GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, 2GB of RAM, a 3,140 mAh battery and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. LG previously revealed that the device sold more than half a million units in South Korea.

A recent job posting suggests that Apple (AAPL) is interested in incorporating new display technology in its future products. The company is looking for a display specialist to improve the overall optical performance of its devices and “lead the investigation on emerging display technologies such as high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible display.” The employee will also be required to “analyze the trade-offs between design, process, optical performance, and implementation feasibility.” An earlier rumor suggested that Apple was interested in using a curved glass display in its iWatch device. A number of rival companies, such as Samsung (005930) and LG (066570), have been experimenting with flexible touch screens in recent years. Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have also shown Apple’s interest in flexible display technologies over the past few years.

Yet another report suggests that Apple (AAPL) has excluded Samsung from development of its A7 chipset. According to the Korea Times, the company is being assisted by TSMC in creating its next-generation processor. The move is the latest blow to Samsung (005930), which has seen Apple shift away from using its components in the iPhone and iPad due to increased competition and ongoing legal battles. Samsung is now said to be interested in partnering with NVIDIA (NVDA), in addition to its in-house Exynos brand, to maintain growth in its semiconductor business. An earlier report claimed that risk production of the A7 will begin in May or June, and the chipset will debut in commercial products in early 2014.

Microsoft (MSFT) has long been rumored to be building a version of Office for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, but earlier reports that claimed the productivity suite would arrive in early 2013 appear to have been false. The latest report now suggests that we may not see Office for Android and iOS until 2014. Citing a leaked roadmap, Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet says that Microsoft will release its “Gemini” update in October this year by revamping the core Office programs — Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote — with more touch-friendly controls, Metro-styling and support for Windows 8 and Windows RT. The company will then reportedly release a new version of Office for Mac alongside an Office RT and a new version of Office for Windows Phone in April 2014. Finally, Foley notes that Android and iOS support for Office will not be released until fall next year.

The Galaxy S4 will launch with two different models when it is released at the end of the month. The United States and Europe will receive the smartphone with a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, while the global model will be equipped with an eight-core Exynos 5 Octa CPU. SamMobile recently ran some benchmarks on the unreleased handset and found that Samsung’s (005390) Exynos processor outperformed Qualcomm’s (QCOM) Snapdragon 600 but a substantial margin.

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