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Feb

AT&T To Increase Handset Upgrade Fee To $36 From $18, Citing Increased Costs For New Handsets, Starting February 12

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Carriers, News

In a move that is likely to upset every single AT&T customer to some degree, the nation's number two carrier has decided that its current upgrade fee (a cost tacked on whenever a current customer renews their contract and gets a new phone) isn't covering the rising cost of subsidized smartphones. The current upgrade fee is $18, and will soon be doubled to $36, matching the current fee at Sprint.

At T-Mobile, the current cost is $18. At Verizon, there isn't one. Certainly puts things into perspective. Of course, the one thing to remember about fees is that a little sweet talking to a customer representative can often help you avoid them in the first place.

Jan

Microsoft Inks Patent-Licensing Agreement With LG - Continues Making Money From Android

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Legal, LG, News

Reports from CES 2012 indicate that Windows Phone 7 may be a competitive mobile platform, however Microsoft has decided to hedge its bets and continue making money from Android by signing a patent-licensing agreement with LG. The terms of the agreement will likely require LG to pay Microsoft royalties for all LG tablets, phones, and other consumer devices running the Android or Chrome OS platform. This deal likely mirrors Microsoft's ten previous patent-licensing agreements with Android and Chrome OS manufacturers, including Samsung, HTC, Acer, and ViewSonic.

By signing the recent agreement Microsoft is "pleased to have built upon [its] longstanding relationship with LG", a relationship which began in 2007, when LG sold its soul to Microsoft by signing a "broad patent-licensing agreement" covering "Linux-based embedded devices".

Sep

Editorial: Is Samsung's Patent Licensing Deal With Microsoft The End Of Royalty-Free Android?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, HTC, LG, Motorola, News, Samsung

It certainly seems like it. Yesterday, Microsoft announced via blog that it had concluded negotiations with Samsung and reached a licensing deal for the same seven patents it previously licensed to HTC for Android (along with other, smaller Android manufacturers). There were rumblings about just what royalty rate Samsung is paying, but the guess is anywhere from $5 to $15 per handset (it's likely on a percentage-of-MSRP basis - so think about 1-3% per $500 MSRP phone).

When it comes to royalty agreements, rates are usually internally fixed regarding certain categories of IP to avoid confusion about damages in lawsuits, but when there are allegations of continued infringement, the game changes.

Jul

Why Apple's Patent Victories Over HTC Aren't All That Important Or Scary

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, HTC

Android's latest indirect legal tussle to come to a head, a patent suit between HTC and Apple, was ruled on last week by the US ITC (Court of International Trade) - finding the Taiwanese manufacture liable for two counts of patent infringement. This news has spread like wildfire through every corner of the tech blog world. But is there really anything that's changed right now (or even in the near future) because of the outcome of this suit? Not really, no. Even the long-term, worst-case-scenario implications aren't exactly terrifying - and here's why.

Appeals Process

As many sites have pointed out, HTC has vowed to appeal the ruling of the ITC.

Jul

[Deal Alert: X2 Edition] Get The DROID X2 For Just $100 On A New 2-Year Agreement

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Droid X2, Motorola, Verizon Wireless

I'm not sure why anyone would want the DROID X2 (our own Aaron Gingrich didn't exactly love it, either - and that's putting it nicely.) But, some people do seem to like the X2 - probably most owners upgrading from the original X. Why? Because it looks and feels exactly the same. So, if you want this Motorola monster, now's a decent time to get it - as it's just $100 with a new Verizon account on Wirefly or AmazonWireless.

The X2 is packing an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display (some people hate qHD for its Pentile subpixel rendering), 512MB of RAM, and an 8MP rear shooter.

Jul

[Deal Alert] HTC Thunderbolt Just $100 On New 2-Year Agreement At Wirefly

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Deals, HTC, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Stay tuned - this is a multi-part "Deal Alert," everyone. First on our list: the HTC Thunderbolt. If you open a new Verizon account (sorry, additional lines and renewals aren't eligible) today, you can pick up an HTC Thunderbolt from Wirefly for just $100. Not shabby. The Thunderbolt was Verizon's debut 4G LTE device, and it has enjoyed substantial popularity since launch. It's also probably the best 4G handset on Verizon presently, though its battery life and lack of a Gingerbread update have put off many owners.

The Thunderbolt packs a 1GHz single-core next-gen Qualcomm processor, 768MB RAM, and a 4.3-inch SLCD display (with Gorilla Glass).

Jul

Apparatus Developer: "Amazon Appstore Is A Disaster"

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

You might have heard of the fun physics/Rube Goldberg machine game Apparatus. It's actually pretty popular, and quite well-loved - over 800 reviews on the Android Market putting it at an average score of 4.5. For a game, especially, that's a very difficult feat to accomplish. It goes without saying then, that the developer of Apparatus is very concerned with customer feedback and providing support for his application.

Recently, he decided to distribute Apparatus through the Amazon Appstore. Today, he decided to remove it.

Initially, Apparatus was rejected by the Appstore for an extremely minor (even insignificant) mis-step: it used HTTP rather than HTTPS for a cookie when the app was accessing the community forums.

Jun

Verizon Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE Pre-Order Up, Starts At $529.99 With New 2-Year Enslavement

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Tips & Tutorials, Verizon Wireless

I'm not sure how well this 4G-ified Tab 10.1 is going to do in terms of sales, but it's coming nonetheless. And in four flavors! And by that, I mean there's two storage options (16GB or 32GB) and two color options (grey or white):

These prices are, of course, subsidized with a new 2-year data contract. How subsidized? Try $100 off (yes, that's all). Sounds like Verizon is super confident about this thing, too. I think we can all agree, until carriers actually start giving these mobile data-enabled tablets meaningful contract discounts (or better data plans), there's next to no incentive for consumers to purchase them.

Jun

[Deal Alert 3D] Get The HTC EVO 3D For Just $150 At AmazonWireless

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, Sprint

AmazonWireless has gone slashing more prices today - this time on the EVO 3D. You can pick up the 3D on a new 2-year agreement or line addition to your existing Sprint account for just $150 right now. That's $30 less than it was yesterday, so if you've been waiting for the right price to pick up your 3D, now seems like the time to do it. Those looking to upgrade from their current Sprint handsets will still have to pay the old price ($180).

Curious about the EVO 3D? Check out our review roundup before you make your decision.

Jun

[Deal Alert 2] EVO Shift 4G Now Free At Wirefly On New 2-Year Agreement

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), News, Sprint, Tips & Tutorials

Last week, I listed the EVO Shift 4G in my roundup of the best Android phones under $50, but that was when it was priced at $40 on AmazonWireless. Wirefly has now gone and beaten that price silly, offering the QWERTY-keyboard slider phone for the low, low price of "free" if you open a new Sprint account, or add a new line to your existing plan.

The EVO Shift 4G does have a tiny 3.6" display, but it's also packing a next-gen single core Snapdragon processor and a big 1530mAh battery - along with a fresh update to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.