Author: Mike Stenger

With T-Mobile generating buzz after announcing its new Simple Choice Plans, it appears other wireless carriers are taking notes. During a company event Wednesday in New York City, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said he’s open to the idea of ditching contracts. McAdam has been monitoring what T-Mobile customers have been saying and even said that if Verizon customers started asking for no-contract plans, he’d consider getting rid of them. However, as the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”. While no-contract plans sound great, there is a potential downside. With T-Mobile’s new plans, removing contracts means customers have to pay anywhere from $5 to $20 per month per device over 24 months to make up for the lack of a contract.

Source: PCMag

Come comment on this article: Verizon CEO Reportedly Open To Eliminating Contracts

Facebook held its official event today announcing Facebook Home and revealed the HTC First, the first smartphone to run Facebook’s new UI. As mentioned previously, Facebook Home runs on top of Android and users will still have access to Google Play. The HTC First will be available exclusively on AT&T starting April 12 for $99 under a new two-year contract. Here are the official specs:

• 4.3-inch 720p display at 1280 x 720
• 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.6 megapixel front-facing camera
• WiFi, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0
• Facebook Home UI on top of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Ahead of the HTC First release, AT&T uploaded several videos showing how to use different Facebook Home features. You can watch them below and let us know in the comments if you’re interested in buying the First.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Come comment on this article: The HTC First Is Real, Launches April 12 Running Facebook Home

T-Mobile made a splash announcing its new no-contract Simple Choice plans and we here at Talk Android are wondering: Can they actually save you money? For the longest time, the wireless industry here in the U.S. has been dominated by two-year contracts. Whether you go with Sprint, Verizon or AT&T, the only way to get a solid smartphone at a lower price ($99 to $299), is by signing a two-year contract. Many Americans simply don’t have the cash to pay full price for an unlocked smartphone or tablet.

T-Mobile wants to change that with Simple Choice. There are no contracts and kicking off with the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 for just $99, it sounds like a great deal. First, let’s see what Simple Choice has to offer and at what prices:

There are two plans to choose from, which in many ways complicates things rather than “simply” things. The new Simple Choice plan has a capped and throttled data plan, which starts at $50 per month (1 line) for unlimited minutes/texts and 500MB of data that you can use for either your phone or hotspot. You won’t be charged a dime if you go over 500MB, but you will be throttled to 2G speeds. If you need more than 500MB of data, it will cost you an additional $10 per month for every 2GB. Sounds simple enough, but here’s where things get complicated. The Classic unlimited plan starts at $70 per month (1 line) and includes unlimited minutes, texts, and data. There is one caveat, and that is that the unlimited data is only for your phone. They do include 500MB of hotspot only data, and if you need more it will cost you an additional $10 per month for every 2GB of data.

Now, without contracts means you’ll have to pay for the device over time. Depending on the device, it’ll cost an additional $5 to $20 per month over 24 months for either plan, and you always have the option to just buy the device upfront. For example, let’s say you get two lines and two Samsung Galaxy S III’s with Classic unlimited 4G (500MB tethering). You’re looking at $120 per month plus $40 per month over two years just for the phones themselves. If you know you won’t use more than 2.5GB of data, you can opt for the capped Simple Choice plan, which would cost $100 per month plus $40 per month over two years for the phones. You would be capped at 2.5GB, but you would also have access to that entire amount of data via hotspot.

T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plans aren’t “technically” no-contract because if you opt to pay for a device over time and terminate your service before the 24 months, you still have to pay off the device. It’s a bit of a catch 22. Now, looking at pricing for three other carriers, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, let’s see how much it would cost for at least 2GB of data:

• Verizon: $60 per month for 2GB shareable data plus $40 per smartphone. Includes unlimited talk and text.
• AT&T: $70 per month for 4GB shareable data plus $40 per smartphone. Includes unlimited talk and text.
• Sprint: $109.99 per month for unlimited everything on one device, $209.98 for two devices, and additional $99.99 per month for each device up to five devices.

If you just have one line, on Verizon it would cost you $100 per month, on AT&T $110 per month, and Sprint $109.99 per month. However, taking into consideration the average family has three lines, you’re now looking at $180 per month on Verizon, $190 per month on AT&T, and $309.97 per month on Sprint. With T-Mobile’s capped and throttled Simple Choice plan, you get 2.5GB of data at 4G speed per line for a cost of $120 per month plus $5-$20 per month per device over 24 months. With T-Mobile, you’re getting a total of 7.5GB of data (2.5GB per line) while the Verizon example only includes 2GB of shared data, and the AT&T example includes 4GB of shared data.

What about the unlimited Classic plan? Neither Verizon nor AT&T offer unlimited data so we’re only left to compare to Sprint. For just one line, it’ll cost $109.99 per month on Sprint while it’ll cost $70 per month plus $5-$20 per month per device over 24 months on T-Mobile. Your data is unlimited, but if you need more than 500MB of hotspot data, you’ll have to pay $10 per month for every extra 2GB. For say three lines, Sprint will, again, cost you $309.97 per month while on T-Mobile it’ll cost $150 per month plus $5-$20 per month per device over 24 months. This pricing is even on par with AT&T and Verizon’s capped and shared plans.

Verdict

If you’re an individual who is satisfied with at least 2.5GB of data, T-Mobile is the cheaper option. Opting for T-Mobile’s 2.5GB plan plus paying $20 per month for a premium device will come out to $80 per month. Even if you wanted an extra 2GB of data which comes out to a total of 4.5GB, your plan will only go up to $90 per month. That’s still cheaper than Verizon or AT&T.

For families, you can’t beat T-Mobile’s Classic unlimited 4G data plan. Up to five lines, it’ll cost you $210 per month plus $5-$20 per month per device over 24 months. Even if you get five premium devices that will cost $20 extra per month each, that’s $310 per month. With just 4GB of shareable data on Verizon across five lines, you’re looking at $270 per month with AT&T costing the same. Sprint’s Unlimited Everything with five lines will cost a whopping $509.95 per month.

However, if your family spends less time making calls and more time using data, you could get Sprint down to just $239.96 per month for five lines, unlimited text and data included. If you’re a family who will use a lot of hotspot access, the fact that data on T-Mobile Simple Choice isn’t shared across all devices, is a major benefit. Even if you have five premium devices at $20 extra per month on the 2GB plan and added an extra 2GB to each device, you’re looking at $310 per month.  While Verizon and AT&T will cost you around $40 less per month, you’re getting more data per device with T-Mobile.

Moving forward, the biggest obstacle that T-Mobile faces is building out its 4G LTE network. Launching 4G LTE in six new U.S. cities is a good start, but carriers such as Verizon and AT&T are still winning at that game. As with any carrier, you also have to take into consideration service beyond just high speed data coverage. T-Mobile doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to reception so before making any decisions, research your area and see what other people are saying.

Come comment on this article: What you need to know about the T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan

Samsung and Mozilla announced a new partnership today that involves the development of a next generation browser engine. Called Servo, this browser engine will take advantage of multiple cores, allowing it to work even faster than today’s mobile browsers. To start, Servo will run on ARM-powered Android devices. Servo is written on a new language called Rust which was developed by Mozilla and will help to beef up security. There is no official release date as Rust is not considered stable yet and if you are a developer, you can access the source code from Github.

Here is how Mozilla explains the programming language:

“It is intended to fill many of the same niches that C++ has over the past decades, with efficient high-level, multi-paradigm abstractions, and offers precise control over hardware resources. But beyond that, it is *safe by default*, preventing entire classes of memory management errors that lead to crashes and security vulnerabilities. Rust also features lightweight concurrency primitives that make it easy for programmers to leverage the power of the many CPU cores available on current and future computing platforms.”

Source: The Mozilla Blog

Come comment on this article: Samsung And Mozilla Working On Browser Engine With Multi-Core Support

AT&T has rolled out LTE to 14 new markets which now marks a total of 175 markets with LTE coverage. Eight locations are in the south with Florida taking the top spot. Here they are:

• Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas
• Fort Smith, Arkansas
• Fresno, California
• Palm Coast, Florida
• Lakeland-Winter Haven Florida
• Fort Pierce, Florida
• Mount Dora, Florida
• Carbondale-Marion Illinois
• Houma/Thibodaux, Louisana
• Jefferson City, Missouri
• Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Binghamton, New York
• Temple/Killeen Texas
• Mount Vernon, Washington

Source: AT&T

Come comment on this article: AT&T Launches 4G LTE In 14 New Markets

The HTC One is set to launch on multiple U.S. carriers April 19 and one feature that has people talking is the new UltraPixel camera. Instead of a higher megapixel camera, HTC went with a four megapixel camera that has some different technology behind it. As any photography geek knows, more megapixels doesn’t always mean better image quality. Factors such as image sensor and the quality of lens have a large impact. With a sensor that can capture 300% more light than any 13 megapixel smartphone camera on the market, HTC believes its UltraPixel camera is better than the competition. JR Raphael of Computerworld got to sit down with Symon Whitehorn who heads up smartphone imaging at HTC.

Whitehorn doesn’t see the UltraPixel camera as a drastic evolution, but more of a forward-looking step. HTC wanted to focus on performance versus cramming in more megapixels and marketing that bigger number to consumers as better. When it comes to why they went with four megapixels, they found that it was more than enough in 90 percent of cases. Also, it gives a much more manageable file size which allows users to do more cool things with Zoe without sacrificing performance. What also makes the HTC One camera unique according to Whitehorn is the optical image stabilization and F/2.0 aperture. Early preproduction units appeared to take grainy photos and Whitehorn claims it was an automatic ISO issue that has since been fixed and shouldn’t be there once the HTC One makes its way to consumers.

Source: Computerworld

Come comment on this article: Man Behind HTC One Camera Talks More About The UltraPixel

Verizon has a new mid-range device coming soon and will offer the LG Lucid 2 for free on a new two-year contract. We reported the news yesterday and instead of the Lucid 2 being available in retail stores starting April 4, customers will only be able to order online with the phone making its way to physical stores in the coming weeks. The LG Lucid 2 is actually the Optimus F5 and for an entry-level smartphone, offers very reasonable specs.

• 4.3-inch IPS display at 960 x 540 (256 ppi)
• 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage with microSD card support up to 64GB
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• 2,460 mAh battery

The Lucid 2 is also capable of being charged wirelessly with the wireless charging cover sold separately. For users who want to tap into their Verizon Mobile Share plan, mobile hotspot functionality is built-in as well.

Source: Verizon Wireless

Come comment on this article: Verizon Offering Dual-Core LG Lucid 2 For Free Starting April 4

With mobile phones and tablets getting more advanced every single day, so does the hardware that goes inside them. Mobile chip designer ARM and TSMC have managed to create the first 64-bit Cortex-A57 processor. Even more impressive, they did it utilizing 16nm technology developed by TSMC. According to an official press release, the process took six months and is ARM’s most powerful processor ever. Cortex-A57 processors are the predecessor to the Cortex-A15 and deliver significantly more performance (pictured above). ARM doesn’t say when this next generation processor will be released and you can read the official press release below.

HSINCHU, Taiwan and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — ARM and TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) today announced the first tape-out of an ARM® Cortex™-A57 processor on FinFET process technology. The Cortex-A57 processor is ARM’s highest performing processor, designed to further extend the capabilities of future mobile and enterprise computing, including compute intensive applications such as high-end computer, tablet and server products. This is the first milestone in the collaboration between ARM and TSMC to jointly optimize the 64-bit ARMv8 processor series on TSMC FinFET process technologies. The two companies cooperated in the implementation from RTL to tape-out in six months using ARM Artisan® physical IP, TSMC memory macros, and EDA technologies enabled by TSMC’s Open Innovation Platform® (OIP) design ecosystem.

ARM and TSMC’s collaboration produces optimized, power-efficient Cortex-A57 processors and libraries to support early customer implementations on 16nm FinFET for high-performance, ARM technology-based SoCs.

“This first ARM Cortex-A57 processor implementation paves the way for our mutual customers to leverage the performance and power efficiency of 16nm FinFET technology,” said Tom Cronk, executive vice president and general manager, Processor Division, ARM. “The joint effort of ARM, TSMC, and TSMC’s OIP design ecosystem partners demonstrates the strong commitment to provide industry-leading technology for customer designs to benefit from our latest 64-bit ARMv8 architecture, big.LITTLE™ processing and ARM POP™ IP across a wide variety of market segments.”

“Our multi-year, multi-node collaboration with ARM continues to deliver advanced technologies to enable market-leading SoCs across mobile, server, and enterprise infrastructure applications,” said Dr. Cliff Hou, TSMC Vice President of R&D. “This achievement demonstrates that the next-generation ARMv8 processor is FinFET-ready for TSMC’s advanced technology.”

This announcement highlights the enhanced and intensified collaboration between ARM and TSMC. The test chip was implemented using a commercially available 16nm FinFET tool chain and design services provided by the OIP ecosystem and ARM Connected Community partners. This successful collaborative milestone is confirmation of the roles that TSMC’s OIP and ARM’s Connected Community play in promoting innovation for the semiconductor design industry.

Come comment on this article: ARM Teams Up With TSMC To Create First 16nm Cortex-A57 Processor

RSS reader Feedly has been on a roll ever since Google announced it was shutting down Google Reader, and the alternative reader has rolled out a new mobile app. In this new version, users will benefit from a new search and discovery engine, visual tweaks for easier reading, and better sharing. The new search engine taps into over 50 million feeds and Feedly claims “No other news reader comes even close to offering this breadth of choice.” Using smart topic completion, it automatically updates your search with feeds that are relevant to what you’re looking for.

A section called “Must Reads” has been added which is where all the content you’ve tagged as must read appears. From the feed selection panel, you can now pull to refresh and instantly update all your feeds  A new title only view has also been added which makes it far easier to scan through headlines, and sharing has been made even better with the introduction of one-click sharing to Google+. You can still easily share via Twitter, Facebook, or email, and Feedly has had support for tools such as Pocket and Buffer. As well as the major update, Feedly reports it has added over three million new users since news broke that Google Reader will shut down in July.

Source: Feedly Blog

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: Feedly Rolls Out New Mobile App, Adds Over 3 Million New Users

Last week we talked about Sony working on smartphones with Cyber-shot quality cameras and according to a new report, the One Sony line will start with a 20 megapixel Cyber-shot camera. Codenamed Honami, the flagship smartphone is rumored to have a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 5-inch full HD display, and either a 2700 or 3000 mAh battery. According to the source, it’s not fully decided upon yet, although design could be finalized by the end of April. Sony’s One line is part of the electronic giant’s initiative to better differentiate itself from the competition. Like Samsung with the Galaxy S line of devices, Sony hopes to leverage that winning concept.

Via: Phone Arena
Source: Esato

Come comment on this article: One Sony Line Will Start With 20 Megapixel Cyber-shot Camera

While those of us in the U.S. will just get the Galaxy S 4 with a quad-core Snapdragon processor, other countries are fortunate enough to get the Exynos 5 Octa on-board. If you are able to get your hands on the S 4 or future Samsung device with an Octa processor, there is some good news when it comes to LTE support. According to the official Samsung Exynos Twitter page, the Exynos 5 Octa will support all 20 LTE bands allowing fast data speeds worldwide. As far as what modem it will be paired with and how many bands will be supported on a single device, Samsung has yet to release more information.

Source: Official Samsung Exynos Twitter page

Come comment on this article: Samsung Exynos 5 Octa Will Support All 20 LTE Bands

Texas Instruments has developed seven new chips in total that cut battery recharging time in half. Part of a new BQ2419x line of chipsets, they utilize a “battery path impedance compensation system” and be can be used in more than just smartphones or tablets. Portable medical equipment, mobile hotspots, and battery packs are just some of the devices that could utilize these new chips. They’re 92 percent efficient at 2A output or 90 percent efficient at 4A of output and measuring just 4mm x 4mm, manufacturers can purchase in bulk for just $2.50 per chip. Back in February, Qualcomm announced Quick Charge 2.0 which is reported to help charge enabled devices up to 75% faster than its previous technology.

Source: TechWeekEurope

Come comment on this article: Texas Instruments Develops New Chips That Cut Battery Recharge Time In Half

Toshiba has managed to create the world’s thinnest 13 megapixel camera sensor and will start shipping samples to manufacturers in May. Measuring just 4.7 mm thick, we could see it in Android devices starting this holiday shopping season. As technology advances, so does the size of smartphones and tablets. Having a super thin camera sensor will help to better fit inside the next generation of devices. Toshiba was able to get the camera sensor so small thanks to a dedicated signal processing unit and four plastic lenses. They also used a used a flip chip structure in place of a wire bonded structure. In non-technical terms, it’s incredibly small. Toshiba plans on manufacturing one million of these per month and should cost around $74 USD.

Source: Unwired View

Come comment on this article: Toshiba Launching Thinnest Ever 13 Megapixel Camera Sensor

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 will launch very soon and starting March 28 in the UK, Carphone Warehouse will give pre-order customers a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tablet. To qualify for this exclusive deal, you’ll have to be one of the first 2,000 to pre-order the Galaxy S 4 which is expected to launch April 26. Customers will also receive a free car charger, screen protector, and case. Carphone Warehouse COO Graham Stapelton believes its retail stores could be even busier than the holiday season during the launch of the Galaxy S 4. Considering Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 destroyed pre-registrations for the Galaxy S III, Graham could be right.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Come comment on this article: Free Tablet From Carphone Warehouse When You Pre-Order The Galaxy S 4 Starting March 28

Verizon is at this year’s Gaming Developers Conference in San Francisco, and announced the Playphone Games Portal which will hit Verizon devices in the second quarter. Powered by social gaming network Playphone, it’ll compete directly with the Google Play Store and allow Verizon to generate more revenue. What makes the Playphone Games Portal different from Google Play is the ability to interact with friends and purchases. A “friends” page within the application will allow you to see all your friends’ game activity and you can easily challenge them to a game, or invite them to games that you play.

As far as what games you’ll be able to choose from, there are currently a lot of relatively unknown titles. However, Verizon is hoping to get more developers on-board and by going to the Playphone Games Portal website, you can sign up and download the SDK for free. Games submitted to the Playphone Games Portal will also be published to Google Play which allows game developers to knock two birds out with one stone.

Source: Phandroid

Come comment on this article: Verizon Announces Playphone Games Portal, Coming Q2 2013

Samsung can’t seem to shake Apple off its back and although damages of $599 million were awarded to Apple, the tech giant still isn’t satisfied. In documents filed by Apple, they claim Judge Lucy Koh made an $85 million error in calculating damages. Supposedly, Koh thought the jury had granted $44,792,974 for the Infuse 4G and $40,494,356 for the Galaxy S II on AT&T. However, according to Apple, Samsung’s own statements prove that “disgorgement of profits for design patent infringement”, were permissible.

In that case, Apple claims they should be awarded damages from 16 products, not 14, and would increase the damages to $685 million. Still, that’s about $365 million less than the original verdict. Moving forward, Apple wants Koh to redetermine the damages immediately while Samsung wants a stay, “a suspension of a case or a suspension of a particular proceeding within a case”, as it believes Apple’s findings are premature.

Source: FOSS Patents

Come comment on this article: Apple Claims Reduction Of Samsung Damages Was An $85 Million Mistake

The Humble Mobile Bundle is back again and six Android games are up for grabs. As with any Humble Bundle, you get to name your own price and decide exactly how your money is divided among charities, developers, or Humble Bundle itself. The games available this time around are Contre Jour, Anomaly Korea, Plants vs. Zombies, Bladeslinger, The Room, and Metal Slug 3. In order to receive The Room and Metal Slug 3 as well, you’ll have to pay more than $5.56, the average. At the time of writing this, over 27,000 Humble Mobile Bundles have been sold generating over $150,000. You can watch the video after the break to learn more about the games.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: The Humble Mobile Bundle

Come comment on this article: The Humble Mobile Bundle Is Back: Choose Your Own Price For 6 Android Games

Samsung’s S Voice feature received an upgrade for the Galaxy S 4 and thanks to a special someone, the new S Voice APK is now available for Android users to download. According to SamMobile, the APK works perfectly on devices running Samsung firmware as one would expect. However, if you’re running an AOSP-based ROM, you may run into some issues. Similar to Google Now, with S Voice you can update social networks, set alarms, create events, open apps, search the web, make a phone call or send a text message, and much more. Galaxy S 4 wallpapers were also released today in crystal clear 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Download Link

Source: SamMobile

Come comment on this article: Samsung’s New S Voice Available To Download

The Sony Xperia ZL has been available for pre-order on Sony’s US web store for several weeks now, and finally received a price. At $720 for the HSPA+ version and $760 for the LTE version, it’s definitely at the higher end for an unlocked smartphone. As shown in our hands on, the Xperia ZL is no slouch. You can expect a 5-inch 1080p HD display, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and 13 megapixel camera. Maybe Sony thinks the high price is warranted thanks to its water resistance and all glass design. However, with the upcoming unlocked Galaxy S 4 costing less, the Sony Xperia ZL could be a tough sell.

Source: Sony Store

Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia ZL Finally Priced: Be Prepared To Pay A Premium

The Samsung Galaxy Note III will be out later this year and may feature an unbreakable display. According to South Korean news site Asiae, the display will be unbreakable thanks to flexible AMOLED technology, measuring in at 5.9-inches and in full 1080p HD. As far as specs are concerned, we’re still hearing a Exynos 5 Octa processor, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera, bigger battery, and Android 4.2.2 onboard. However, with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie being announced at Google I/O, the Galaxy Note III could ship with that. Either way, even if the Note III doesn’t feature an unbreakable display, we’ll be sure to see a better HD display, performance, and many new features that debuted in the Galaxy S 4.

Via: Unwired View
Source: Asiae

Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note III Rumored To Have Unbreakable Display