wireless - 7/8 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Skype Mobile For Android: Now With Video Calling (On Verizon’s LTE Devices)

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News, Verizon Wireless

Sure, Qik, Yahoo, and Fring all have Android-based video calling apps (not to mention that Google's probably planning one of its own), but we all know this is an area Skype dominates. A few days ago, the company updated its iPhone app with the feature, though we Android users haven't had access to it... until now.

At their press conference at CES, Verizon announced that the feature will be available to customers on its new LTE network. It isn't yet clear whether the feature will be coming to other carriers' Android phones, but if you've been looking for a good excuse to switch to Verizon, here it is.

Dec

Will The FCC's Net Neutrality Order Cost Smartphone Users?

Posted by David Ruddock in Carriers, Editorials, News

In a word: yes. Wireless carriers in the US (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.) have long been deeply opposed to net neutrality over their so-called "mobile broadband" networks, but today they've been given a power they have long desired to see the FCC put into writing.

If you haven't been following the net neutrality saga, you might want to find out what exactly "net neutrality" is, or what it means.

What is "net neutrality"?

It's a loaded term, to be frank. Net neutrality activists will tell you it means the complete freedom of information from corporate interference by requiring that ISPs (Internet service providers) do not give any preferential (or deferential) treatment to any information transmitted over their networks, unless it is clearly illegal or dangerous.

Nov

Amazon Wireless Black Friday Android Deals Are Up - Most Phones On Sale Starting At $0.01

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in AT&T, Deals, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

If you thought Amazon's recent deals on all AT&T Android phones and all Verizon Droids were good, just wait 'til you see what they've got in store for the holidays. Amazon Wireless' Black Friday deals are now up, though without a definitive end date - instead, the deals will be available while supplies last. Of course, it goes without saying that Amazon Wireless does not charge tax in most states (except for KY, KS, NY, ND, and WA) and has free shipping, beating out carriers' own retail stores any day.

Check out the great deals we have on some of our bestselling smartphones from all the major carriers.

Nov

Ready For Black Friday? Verizon Discounting Plans, US Cellular Offering Cheap Phones Galore

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in News, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless

Now that everyone and their cousin's friend are preparing for Thanksgiving and the national shopping day that follows (Black Friday), we're starting to see some great deals popping up, especially from carriers looking to sway over new customers.

One such carrier, US Cellular, announced today that it will be offering "door-busting" bargains on all four of its Android phones in celebration of Black Friday, beginning November 22 and ending on the 29th. Their deals aren't really mind-blowing in comparison with some of Wirefly's recent deals, but they're quite a bit cheaper than US Cellular's regular prices:

Samsung Mesmerize - $99.99 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
HTC Desire (see our review here) - $49.99 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
LG Apex - $0.00 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
Samsung Acclaim - $0.00 after an $80 mail-in-rebate

In related news, Verizon Wireless will be rewarding customers who add a new 3G smartphone to their existing plans by subtracting $9.99 from their monthly bill, the same cost as adding a line.

Oct

Amazon Steps Up Again: Drops Price Of T-Mobile G2 To Just $80 For New Contracts

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in G2 (Vision), News, T-Mobile

We swear, we're not gradually converting from news to deal-watching - but hot damn, how can we ignore this: Amazon Wireless is continuing its aggressive price-leadership strategy, and has now dropped the T-Mobile G2 to just $80 for new customers. Better yet, the deal includes free two-day shipping and there's no mail-in-rebate (MIR). Oh, and Artem would want me to point out that there's no sales tax and no activation fee - both of which are fast becoming standard fare (hell, he probably also thinks the title should have some metaphor for how this price is on fire or something).

Sep

Under The Radar: HTC’s DLNA Companion Box Lets You Wirelessly Stream To Your TV

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Devices By Manufacturer, HTC, News

In the excitement of HTC’s unveiling of the Desire HD and Desire Z in London, we missed out on this sweet little gadget. HTC announced plans to release a Media Link wireless DLNA adaptor in Q4 2010, as a companion piece to its continued expansion of the Sense experience.

Credit: SlashGear

What this little box purports to do is allow you to stream media from your DLNA-equipped phone to a suitable TV, irrespective of whether that TV has DLNA or not. There doesn’t appear to be a whole lot to the device: plug in the microUSB power cable, and connect the box to your display with the mini HDMI output.

Sep

Wirefly And Amazon Cut Samsung Fascinate's Price In Half - $99.99, No Tax, And Free Shipping

Posted by Brad Ganley in Fascinate, News, Verizon Wireless

Looks like both Wirefly and Amazon Wireless are up to their old, price-slashing tricks again. This time their sights rested on the brand new Samsung Fascinate for Verizon Wireless.

The Deal

The new $99.99 deal, offered by both sites, is a 50% discount off carrier subsidized price of $199.99.

While the BOGO (buy-one-get-one-free) deal offered by Verizon itself technically averages out to about the same price, if you just need 1 Fascinate, Amazon Wireless or Wirefly are the way to go. With no gimmicks, mail in rebates, or TAXES (that's right, neither of the two charge you tax), you can get the Fascinate for about half the green you would part with at a Verizon store.

Aug

[App Of The Week] Awesome Drop: Easily Transfer Files To Your Phone From Any Computer

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Android is a great mobile operating system. And with Android 2.2, it’s getting even better. One thing Android isn’t very good at, though, is quick and easy wireless file transfers. This week’s App Of The Week solves half of that problem, allowing you to easily transfer files from your computer to your Android phone.

Awesome Drop aims to provide a simple file transfer solution that is lightweight and usable almost anywhere on any computer, without having to use clumsy FTP software or file hosting services. Awesome Drop makes use of HTML5 to allow you to open a browser on your computer, go to a webpage, and simply “drop” files from your computer onto your Android device.

Jun

First Motorola Droid X Commercial Shows Up, Contains Lots Of Easter Eggs - Can You Find Them All?

First Motorola Droid X Commercial Shows Up, Bursting With Easter Eggs - Can You Find Them All?

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Droid X (Shadow), Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

In preparation for the Droid 2 and Droid X launch, Verizon has put out its first commercial, in the best Droid traditions, complete with the "Droid" sound at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOnC5chCag0

Did you even notice how much information this video just provided? Besides the flashing X symbol, pointing at the model being advertised, can you spot all the other easter eggs? Switch to full screen and up the video quality to 480p to see the details better.

For the impatient ones, the list comes after the break. But don't spoil the surprise - watch the video first.

Here are the easter eggs, courtesy of KerrickLong:

0:02 - Droid Landing
0:03 - 4.3" WVGA Screen
0:04 - Buddy or Friend icons
0:05 - Droid logo
0:06 - HDMI Output
0:07 - 8MP Camera

The "Droid Landing" part, as AndroidGuys found out, actually points to a twitter account @DroidLanding which, as you can imagine, will be the driving PR force behind these phones.

Jun

Verizon Planning On Eliminating Unlimited Data Plans As Soon As This Year

Posted by John Thompson in Carriers, News, Verizon Wireless

Verizon subscribers: say goodbye to unlimited data on that internet hungry Android device of yours. According to Businessweek, Verizon is planning on following AT&T’s lead in replacing unlimited plans in favor of a tiered pricing structure.

In an interview with John Killian, chief financial officer of Verizon, it was clearly suggested that a new pricing structure will have to be put in to place, as data traffic increases with the rollout of 4G in the future.