Verizon confirms 12-month Device Payment Plan for phones is launching April 21st
Look: we know many on Verizon aren’t happy that the carrier has revealed plans to lengthen its upgrade intervals right as smartphone update season is hitting full stride. However, there may be a consolation prize. As of April 21st, “some devices” in its smartphone range, not just the existing tablets, will qualify for a Device Payment Plan that spreads out the full costs over the course of a year, letting those who crave the latest mobile hardware (presumably, you) upgrade without either having to sign a contract or pay everything up front. Sounds like a very UnCarrier thing to do, doesn’t it? Not quite, unfortunately. The carrier tells us that these payments sit on top of existing service plans, not inside them — the base service rate won’t go down in year two. T-Mobile will remain the better bargain for anyone constantly replacing handsets, then, but those on Verizon will at least have a degree of freedom.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Verizon
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Thorsten Heins: BlackBerry won’t sell sub-$50 phones
Squint and you’ll find a few neat parallels between BlackBerry and Nokia. Both are fallen giants which are staking their livelihoods on a nascent OS, while the former is a Canadian run by a European, and vice-versa. The one point where the pair’s philosophies differ, however, is on the low-end market. While Nokia strove to embrace low-end phones like the Asha and the 105. Thorsten Heins has said he has no interest in producing budget phones for the developing world. At a question and answer session at the company’s Waterloo HQ, the CEO was quoted as saying “You will not see us getting into the 50-, 60-buck phone segment. This is not BlackBerry.” The move might alienate those who thought the Z10′s elevated price in places like India was a bit excessive — but at least Stephen Elop’s got something for every wallet size.
Filed under: Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Bloomberg
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Outstanding Technology brings visible light communication to phones and tablets via dongle and LEDs
Data transmission via visible light is no longer a technological novelty, but it has yet to make its way into consumer’s hands. Japanese firm Outstanding Technology is aiming to change that with its Commulight location system, which relies on a pair of receivers to get smartphones and tablets downloading info using photons instead of radio waves. One dongle is of the USB variety, but since most mobile gadgets lack such a socket, there’s another that plugs into any device’s 3.5mm jack. Each employs a sensor that grabs relevant location-based info from an overhead data-transmitting LED light. According to its maker, Commulight’s destined for use as a way to give museum goers exhibit info, to transmit coupons, and even provide precision indoor location services more accurate than GPS or WiFi. Want to know more? Check out the video of tech in action after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablet PCs
Outstanding Technology brings visible light communication to phones and tablets via dongle and LEDs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Leave a commentNokia reportedly scraps Meltemi, decides it’s Series 40 or bust in basic phones
O Meltemi, we hardly knew ye. In fact, we didn’t know ye much at all, since Nokia never made the OS official. Nonetheless, claimed insiders have told AllThingsD that the reputed Linux-running alternative to S30 and S40 won’t ever see the light of day. Nokia’s deep structural cuts are to blame, and we imagine Nokia’s previous drive to whittle down its OS portfolio will have come into play. CEO Stephen Elop and other executives never directly acknowledged Meltemi’s existence during the cutback-related conference call, although Elop did admit that some projects were screeching to a halt behind the scenes — possibly the closest Espoo will come to saying that the platform was ever real. Sad, to be sure, but between the new Asha Touch line and ever-cheaper Lumia models, we’re not too worried about whether or not Nokia has the low end covered.
Nokia reportedly scraps Meltemi, decides it’s Series 40 or bust in basic phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tonino Lamborghini launches ‘Luxury’ phones for low-spec loving Russians with deep pockets
Much like Porsche Design before it, this isn’t strictly the auto-maker (in this case it’s the son of the famous sports car mogul) releasing a phone. However, these are devices (three phones and a tablet) which bear the family name. Russian site Hi-Tech Mail got a good look at two feature phones (which look remarkably familiar,) the TL688 and TL820, sporting 2- and 2.4-inch displays, along with 3- and 5-megapixel cameras and 4GB and 1GB (expandable) storage respectively. Their main selling point evidently being the hand made gold plate and leather finish. There is a TL700 smartphone, too, which runs on not-so-sporty Android Gingerbread, with an unspecified Qualcomm processor, 3.7-inch 800 x 480 display and 5-megapixel shooter. This one ups the flash-factor some, boasting diamond processed metal and “elements” of crocodile skin.
The tablet is known as the Lamborghini L2800 and has a 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 resolution screen, 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB onboard storage (expandable). How much does all this sense-defying technology cost? Well, the feature phones start at 60,000 rubles, (about $1,829) or you can snap up the Android for 30,000 more (about $2,743) and treat yourself to the L2800 tablet for a reasonable 75,000 rubles (about $2,286). Of course, you’ll have to drive to Russia to get your hands on them, sometime in late August, but we’re guessing if you’re in the market for one of these, that’ll barely dent the plastic anyway.
Gallery: Lamborghini Phones
Tonino Lamborghini launches ‘Luxury’ phones for low-spec loving Russians with deep pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What do Samsung and Phones 4u have to show the UK on March 30th?
We’re not saying this could be the date-of-reveal for the Galaxy S III, but we also can’t say it’s not. What we can surmise, however, is that either Samsung or UK retailer Phones 4u (possibly both) apparently have something to unveil on March 30th. According to Eurodroid, the window pictured above, simply reading “coming 30.03.12″ under a Samsung logo, was photographed by one of its readers outside of the Phones4u located on Oxford St. in London. The site also notes that this same location was the exclusive retailer for the Galaxy Nexus when it launched, making the little meat that’s currently here all the more juicy. Whatever Sammy has in store, you’ll just have to keep guessing as it remains a mystery for now. Hit up the links below for more photos and speculation, and be sure let us know your best guess in the comments.
What do Samsung and Phones 4u have to show the UK on March 30th? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn’t very useful (video)
Who knows why tech tinkerers do what they do. We’re just happy to see those idle hands try the untested. Like this latest Arduino hack from modder Michael of Nootropic Design, who’s seen fit to rig a 16 x 32 LED matrix up to an Android phone for use as a secondary display. The outputted video, downscaled via OpenCV software to an appropriate resolution and 12-bit color, is admittedly unimpressive, as it chugs along at a paltry four frames per second. But that’s not the point of this can-do experiment — it’s all about the possibilities, however blurry and pointless they may be (although, we’re sure Barbara Walters would beg to differ). Ready to see this modjob in motion? Then head on past the break for a brief video demo.
Continue reading Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn’t very useful (video)
Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn’t very useful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Eye Phones
Wink wink.
Are we cyborgs? When misplacing your cell feels like losing a limb, I wonder if it’s actually a phone, or more like a third arm or possibly an external brain supplement. Eyephone, indeed.
I created these little beasts from hornback caiman crocodile and polished galuchat (stingray). Not to toot my own horn(back, ahahahaa) but I also hand painted them. What was unexpected was how lovely the gold turned out over the stingray. It glistens like a gem.
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Time Warner Cable shows Android some love with My TWC app and TWC TV for phones
We’re still waiting for Time Warner to bring its live TV streaming to Android, but the platform is enjoying some exclusive support today with two new apps. The first is the My TWC account management app which lets subscribers view their services, pay bills, adjust call forwarding and, soon, tap into their voicemail remotely. The other one is a new version of its TWC TV app, reformatted to work on phones even while the TWCable TV app on iOS is still a tablet only affair. iPhone and Android owners alike shouldn’t have to wait long for their relief however, as the iPhone edition is slated to arrive in January, and ICS-enabled live TV streaming is still on the roadmap for “early next year.” Hit up the corporate blog for the full feature lists and breakdowns, or just head over to the Android Market to install either free app.
Continue reading Time Warner Cable shows Android some love with My TWC app and TWC TV for phones
Time Warner Cable shows Android some love with My TWC app and TWC TV for phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft’s Andy Lees: Nokia will announce ‘its Windows Phones’ at Nokia World
No surprise here, but you can officially mark Nokia World 2011 down as must-watch TV. Andy Lees just confirmed here on stage at AsiaD that the London-based event, which kicks off on October 26th, will be the launchpad for Nokia’s Windows Phones. Yes, phones. As in, plural. We’ve already caught plenty of sneak peeks at what may be on tap, and you can bet we’ll be on hand to bring you the details as they’re poured out. First Mango, now Nokia. Looks like it’ll be quite the holiday season for the WP7 department.
Microsoft’s Andy Lees: Nokia will announce ‘its Windows Phones’ at Nokia World originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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