03
Nov
T-Mobile Comet + LG Optimus T Free

 

Were you one of the many people surprised and delighted when T-Mobile announced that it would be selling the LG Optimus T for just $29.99? If so, you're about to be even more surprised and delighted - both the Optimus T and its Huawei-built brethren are now available for $0.00 on a new two-year contract!

It's not exactly shocking to see Wirefly touting the device free of charge when some of their recent deals are taken into account, but it certainly is a bit surprising to see that T-Mobile's doing the same. While the latter's still charging $29.99 for the colored versions of the phones, Wirefly will hand you both the Burgundy and the Titanium versions free.

03
Nov
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If you thought Wirefly's previous price tag for the myTouch 4G - $149.99 - was low, just wait 'til you see their new price that went live today: $79.99 (free of tax and shipping charges, as always).

Before you get overly excited, there are a few disclaimers, namely:

  • the fact that this is on a new two-year contract, so if you're looking to add a line to an existing family plan, you'll have to cough up $149.99
  • they don't have the purple edition of the myTouch - they've only got the regular black, white, and red versions

Still, there's no denying the fact that this is a pretty hot deal as opposed to T-Mobile's $199.99 price, so hit up the source links to order yours.

03
Nov
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Today at the Facebook Mobile event, Mark Zuckerberg announced the newest version of the Facebook Android app with support for Places and Groups. We didn't have to wait long, as the update hit the Market mere minutes after the announcement (don't you just love how instantly apps go live in the Android Market, as opposed to some other markets we won't be naming here?).

Here is the changelog:

  • Groups: share posts with small groups of friends
  • Places: share where you are with friends, see where friends are, discover places nearby
  • Improved Notifications - view comments and updates within the app
  • Various bug fixes

Download

QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.katana

Appbrain link

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03
Nov
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Yesterday, T-Mobile officially rebranded its new HSPA+ network as "4G" in an effort to gain that extra G that consumers are so obsessed with (relevant: [1] [2]). In order to promote this newly proclaimed largest 4G network in the country along with the myTouch 4G that was released today, the company launched a video campaign that will air on major TV networks and websites.

The first campaign video features a fresher, younger, and even more vibrant replacement for Catherine Zeta-Jones (who has been T-Mobile's regular face in the last few years) in a familiar and kind of overplayed "Hi, I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" style.

03
Nov
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While we linked a pretty impressive Wirefly deal for pre-ordering the MyTouch 4G a while back, if you didn't take advantage of it, the phone is now available to everyone on T-Mobile's website for $199 after a mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract, new or extended. Presumably the device can be found at your local T-Mobile store as well.

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If you're not fond of the contractual ball and chain, the MyTouch 4G will set you back $450 purchased standalone, sans contract. Considering the phone's feature set (4G [well, HSPA+], front facing camera, 720P video capture), this is a pretty competitive off-contract price.

03
Nov
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Good news, developers: Google is finally giving you the opportunity to formally submit a description of changes to your app in its latest version. Many devs were doing this in the description field already, but were constrained by the character limit in place. This new option frees up some space in the description for ... well, further description, and is sure to please some application developers out there. No sign of the ability to respond to user comments, though, sorry.

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Source: Android Market Help via DroidReign

02
Nov
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Google Maps was updated to version 4.60  last week, and you may not have noticed it on the surface, but contained inside were some interesting resources providing an early glimpse at the style direction Gingerbread is set to take. Freenode IRC member canadiancow rather astutely spotted that there was a folder contained within the 4.60 APK that included icons and styling for API level 9, whilst we're currently on level 8 with Froyo. He changed all references to level 9 down to level 8 and recompiled the APK, and voilà, this is what Maps will look like (on left):

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Obviously not a great deal has changed, but we are liking the new styling on the buttons, and the slight-transparency on the pop-up dialog.

02
Nov
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It's always been interesting to me that although the $29.99 Optimus T ships with tethering capabilities, the G2 has no such feature. Of course, it's been rumored several times before that the feature is on its way, but as of today, G2 users are still in the dark.

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That may all be changing soon though, as a recent leaked screenshot from TmoNews indicates that an OTA update that will begin rolling out tomorrow and finish its trip on November 8 will not only grant you tethering, but will also bring about WiFi calling. Interestingly enough, T-Mobile seems to be expecting users to discover tethering on their own though, as the screenshot instructs employees to tell customers that T-Mobile does not currently offer a tethering plan.

02
Nov
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You're probably aware of one of the slightly more irksome facets of the G2 that is stymying attempts at custom ROMs, namely the locked down /system partition, where the OS is kept. Heretofore it has been impossible to tinker with this internal memory in a permanent fashion. All alterations were reverted on the next boot, leading to solutions like Paul O'Brien's VISIONary soft-root.

Well, Mr. O'Brien isn't the kind of fellow you can restrain with NAND lockdowns, and with a flourish today he unveiled his latest hack. His program, G2 Google Goggles Remover, is a proof of concept which he says will permanently delete the Google Goggles application from your G2.

02
Nov
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Well, let it not be said that HTC are ignoring the hardships of Desire HD early-adopters. Merely a fortnight after its release to retail, the Desire HD is receiving its second over-the-air update. While the first one promised "screen control and photo message compatibility enhancements", that clearly wasn't enough, as today's update once again addresses "screen control" issues whilst also solving a hitch with crashing of the YouTube app.

Those affected by the dreaded proximity sensor issues we previously reported have yet to fully confirm that this latest update fixes the problem once and for all, but the smattering of positive murmurs spread about the XDA-Developers Desire HD sub-forum gives us hope that this may well be the case.