17
May
verizonwirelesslogo

[Update: Verizon Clarifies] Verizon Will End Unlimited Data Grandfathering If You Buy A 4G Phone From This Summer Onward

Posted by in 4G, News, Verizon Wireless

Update: In response to the rather vocal outcries of many of its subscribers on the web, Verizon has clarified what will happen to 3G/4G data plans explicitly. The takeaway is this: anyone purchasing a smartphone from this summer forward on subsidy pricing will be pushed into tiered/shared data. If you choose not to buy a smartphone on subsidy, you can keep your unlimited plan if you choose to.

This means if you renew your 2-year agreement, from this summer forward, on any line by buying a "discounted" phone, you lose unlimited.

Here are the exact statements:

  • Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans.

17
May
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4 Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Tablets From The Last Month (4/19/12 - 5/17/12)

Posted by in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News, Tablets

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added tablet support. Regular apps and games are coming soon.

Unfortunately, I could only find 4 tablet apps in almost a month, which makes me really sad. Sure, a lot of apps are automatically compatible with tablets, but we always appreciate the extra effort that goes into making a dedicated tablet UI.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

17
May
galaxysiiiblue

[Update] Galaxy S III Pre-Orders Pop Up On Amazon, Blue And White Models Available For $799 And Up, For Release On June 1st

Posted by in Galaxy S III, News

Standing opposite HTC's One X, the Galaxy S III is one of this year's most hotly anticipated devices. If you're overly eager to get in on the pre-order action, Amazon has pre-orders available from several retailers. It's worth noting that the "Featured Merchants" among them include names like TechnoTradingHouse.com or BLUTEKUSA. Relatively unknowns, but they've all popped up in very close succession.

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It's worth noting that Amazon has a policy of not collecting payments on pre-orders until the item has shipped. So, if you just can't wait to get your name on the list, but you're hesitant to trust the unfamiliar names on the list, at least you can take a small bit of comfort in knowing that Amazon is providing a small bit of consumer protection.

17
May
frenchopentiny

Roland-Garros® 2012 Is The Official App Of The French Open, Tennis Fans Rejoice

Posted by in Applications, News

If tennis isn't your thing, then I'll see you later! Now, for the rest of you, get ready to download one of the most important tennis-related apps of the year. The French Open has its own app in the Play Store right now. The app allows tennis fans to keep track of the schedule of the two-week event, get alerts before and during the event, and integrates relevant Facebook and Twitter updates, as well as real-time stats.

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The event starts on May 27th and lasts for two weeks. The app will start warming up on May 22nd, though, so sports fans can get started scratching that itch early.

17
May
t-mobile-logo

T-Mobile Intros New No-Contract Mobile Broadband Plans From $15

Posted by in News, T-Mobile

You know what's ridiculous about mobile hotspot plans? In many instances, you have to bundle those into your main package, which means you're stuck paying for it throughout the duration of your agreement regardless of whether you use it or not. T-Mobile doesn't think that's fair, so today it has announced four new levels of no contract mobile broadband plans for tablets, hotspots, and laptop dongles, starting with a 300MB 1-week pass for $15 and going up from there.

  • 300MB 1-week pass for $15
  • 1.5GB 1-month pass for $25
  • 3.5GB 1-month pass for $35
  • 5GB 1-month pass for $50

These new plans are definitely a good solution for anyone who needs to use mobile data on their tablet or laptop only occasionally and doesn't want to be stuck with a two-year agreement.

17
May
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[Tegra 3 Gamepack Giveaway #2] Win A Transformer Pad 300, Dock, Logitech Gamepad, And Jawbone Jambox From Android Police, ASUS, And NVIDIA

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways

QRCodeforVotingLast week, we told you about NVIDIA's first Player's Choice Awards - a way to let the players speak out about which Tegra Zone games have the best graphics, the best gameplay, and are just the most fun to sit down and play. Not only that, but NVDIA is giving away seven Tegra Zone Gamepacks to seven lucky winners just for voting in the PCA. So, if you haven't done so already, head over to the Tegra Zone and vote for your favorites! (alternatively, just hit the QR code on the right to go there on your mobile).

Speaking of awesome Tegra Zone games with incredible graphics, have you seen Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II?

17
May
googleiotiny

Google I/O Schedule Is Now Live, Get A First Look At All The Cool Android (And Other Google) Session Topics

Posted by in Google, News

In case the parade of trade shows and device announcements in the first half of the year aren't enough to keep you excited, Google I/O stands as the centerpiece of Android and Google hype. If you're just too eager to see what's going to happen late this June, then here's something to whet your appetite: The Google I/O schedule is now live at Google's developer site.

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The schedule includes information for all tracks, including Android, Chrome, Google TV, YouTube, and all your other favorite Google products. As always, we can expect some great announcements at the keynote sessions, which will likely be the highlight of the event for most of us.

16
May
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Chameleon: The New Kickstarter Project That Could Revolutionize Tablet Homescreens

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

It's not every day that I get excited when I look at a UI demo, largely because they tend to end up being vaporware. But it's hard to ignore a revolutionary UI when one comes along - and that's exactly what Chameleon is:

Still not sold? Check out this demo video from 2 months ago, when Chameleon was first announced:

It's certainly a stunning UI, and one that manages the rare feat of being equal parts beautiful and functional. But there's a catch: the company initially intended to sell Chameleon to OEMs, but it seems they couldn't find a buyer - so they're taking to Kickstarter.

16
May

Google Play Store Expands Carrier Billing Options To Include Books, Movies, And Music On Sprint

Posted by in News, Sprint

Two weeks ago, Google announced a series of expansions to carrier billing options for Play Store Apps, Movies, Books, and Music on various carriers. While some changes went into effect immediately, Sprint, which already allowed direct billing for apps, was one carrier that was listed as "coming soon."

As of today, all three additional options are available to Sprint customers: books, music, and movies. Not surprisingly, carrier billing is the default option since it's by far the cheapest to carriers and Google as they get to bypass credit card fees. While this addition doesn't benefit everyone, I can see a few handy uses for carrier billing:

  • you don't own a credit card at all
  • you don't want to add a credit card to your Wallet account for some reason, be it security, paranoia, or a medical condition that prevents you from typing 16 digits in a row (also known as laziness)
  • you don't want to pollute your credit card statement with multiple charges
  • you don't want your significant others with access to your credit card statement to see what you're doing

Enjoy, Sprinters!

16
May
googlemusictiny

[Update] Google Appears To Have Backpedaled On Music Deauthorizations, Now Allowing More Than Four Devices To Be Removed

Posted by in Google, News

Well, that didn't take long. Earlier today, we reported that Google was limiting the number of devices that can be deauthorized from your Google Music account. The official limit on Google Music devices was 10 active devices, with the proviso that up to 4 devices could be removed from your account every year. As of this moment, the Google Music help page still echoes this, but Google might be back pedaling. We're hearing reports that some users are able to deauthorize devices after being told just this morning that they'd reached their limit. Cameron, who had already reached his limit this morning, tried it out and lookie here:

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Earlier this morning (left), and around 3:30 EST (right)

While it's unclear how Google's stance on this has changed (we've reached out to Google for comment), it does seem very clear that some customers are now able to deauthorize devices that, just hours ago, they could not.

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