21
May
4G sp

Sprint Kills 5GB/$29.99 Wi-Fi Hotspot Plan For Phones And Tablets, Replaces It With More Expensive 2GB/$19.99 And 6GB/$49.99 Plans

Posted by in News, Sprint

Sprint has long been the refuge for data-hungry users that don't want to deal with caps or overages. While Sprint's regular 3G and 4G data usage on phones is still unlimited, back in October the Now Network started capping the mobile hotspot feature at 5GB per month. Starting last Friday, May 18th, that plan is gone. In its place are two pricier options.

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The low-end option comes with 2GB of monthly bandwidth and costs $19.99 per month. The high-end offering is quite a jump; 6GB for $49.99. It's a clever way to push you to a much more expensive option that you might not need.

21
May
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Amazon App Store Updated To 2.6.53, Bringing Test Drive Capability To Android Devices

Posted by in Applications, News

One of the great things about Amazon's App Store is that its online interface allows users to "test drive" apps before deciding to download them. This functionality definitely comes in handy, especially when mulling over the decision whether to buy a paid app.

In an update to the App Store app today, Amazon – besides fixing a download bug and improving stability – introduced its Test Drive feature, meaning users can preview apps right from the palm of their hand before downloading.

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If you've already grabbed the update but don't see the Test Drive button, don't fear – it seems that the functionality is being introduced in stages.

21
May
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Classic Game "Theme Hospital" Ported To Android For Free, But Beware The Suspicious Paid Version In The Play Store

Posted by in Games, News

Theme Hospital was a hit when it came out on the PC in 1997. Fans of the game are free to begin celebrating now that the game has been ported to Android as a free app by a one man UK developer called Armed Pineapple. The developer is working from the CorsixTH free software project, but it looks like someone has taken the code he's released and has started selling it on Google Play. Something smells fishy.

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The game is a simulation where players have to craft a virtual hospital that will attract patients with all manner of hilarious conditions and complaints.

21
May
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Verizon Offering A $40 Bill Credit With The Purchase Of A New 4G Phone From Amazon Wireless Or Wirefly.com

Posted by in 4G, Deals, News, Verizon Wireless

Verizon, looking to sweeten the deal for anyone ready to grab a new 4G smartphone, has begun a promotion that offers customers a $40 bill credit when buying a new 4G LTE smartphone from either Amazon Wireless or Wirefly.com.

The promotion, which is open to new or upgrading customers, began at 12am today and will last until May 24th. Customers wishing to participate can activate up to 5 devices, each earning another $40 credit.

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If you've been waiting for just the right moment to upgrade to (or activate) a new smartphone powered by Verizon's 4G LTE network, now is a great time.

21
May
perfection-tf300

Small OTA Update (Build 9.4.3.29) Rolling Out Now To The ASUS Transformer Pad 300, Brings Face Unlock And Considerable Performance Improvements

Posted by in News, Transformer Pad 300

Looks like an OTA update started making its way to the ASUS Transformer Pad 300 over the weekend that brings a handful of enhancements to the device, including Face Unlock, battery usage details (finally!), and a considerable boost in performance.

What do I mean by "considerable boost in performance," exactly? To put it mildly, the TF300 had a bit of... lag when too many things were running at one time, but it suffered the worst hit when app updates were installing from the Play Store. Now, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, the tablet seems to be quite a bit snappier overall, which is definitely a good thing.

21
May
apextiny

Apex Launcher For ICS Gets Bumped To Version 1.2, Supports Themes, Adds CM9 Settings Integration

Posted by in Applications, News

When we first took a look at Apex launcher, we loved it. One of the better ICS launchers is about to get even better, as the app gets bumped to version 1.2. The update brings, among other things, support for themes and a ludicrously high 10x10 grid of icons on phones. For those of you that like have touch screen phones, but hate how easy it is to tap on things without machine-like precision.

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Here's a full list of the new features:

What's in this version:

  • Support for Apex Launcher themes
  • Support for selecting icons from LauncherPro and Go Launcher icon packs
  • New gestures and Apex actions: toggle dock and recent apps
  • Added CM9 settings integration
  • Up to 10x10 grid on phones
  • Support for ADW, LauncherPro, and GO Launcher themes (pro)
  • Unread count notifications for icons in folders (pro)
  • Improved desktop gestures
  • Fixed a wallpaper position issue
  • Fixed a icon scaling bug
  • Various bug fixes and improvements
  • Updated translations

A couple of the new features are for the pro-version only, which costs $4, but the rest of the update is free on the Play Store right now, including support for using Launcher Pro and Go Launcher icon packs, just in case you want the best of all worlds.

21
May
htc-logo

[Update: HTC Responds] HTC: "Some" Smartphones Have Cleared US Customs Review And Are On Their Way To Carriers

Posted by in HTC, Legal, News

Update: We've received an official statement from an HTC spokesperson on the situation with US Customs, and it basically confirms what was said to the Taiwanese stock exchange. Here it is:

“Each imported HTC model must be reviewed by Customs and will be released once Customs officials have completed the inspection.  Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carrier customers.  We don't have the status of each specific device model at this time, but we are working closely with Customs. We remain confident that this issue will be resolved soon.”

HTC Spokesperson

There you have it - things are happening, but HTC is unable to confirm exactly what models are now getting through.

21
May
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Quadrant Advanced and Professional Editions Now Available In The Play Store

Posted by in Applications, News

Are you a benchmark junkie, or do you know someone who is? If so, Aurora Software just released some tools to the Play Store that are sure to help feed your addictions: say hello to Quadrant Advanced and Professional Editions.

For the uninitiated, Quadrant has been a standard for Android benchmark tests in Android since, well, basically forever. Previously only available in the SlideMe store, the Professional and Advanced versions are now available in the Play Store.

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So, what's different about this pair of benches over the free, Standard version? More info, of course! Basically, the Advanced edition offers sub scores, offline score viewing, custom settings, and zero ads.

21
May
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Android Cookbook Is A Crowd-Sourced Book Of Recipes For Learning App Development (Available Both In Print And On The Web)

Posted by in Android OS, Dev, News

There are countless methods out there for learning Android development from the Android Bootcamp video series to the boatload of print publications currently in circulation to Google's own Android tutorials. Looking to create something both unique and helpful however, Android Cookbook has compiled a crowd-sourced set of recipes for "writing great Android apps," making them available for free online.

The online cookbook, which relies on user recipe submission and group moderation, was recently finalized for publication by O'Reilly, meaning it's now available both on the web and in print from various retailers. In its 22 chapters (plus an "other" category available online), the cookbook already has nearly 300 recipes for those eager to learn Android, and it continues to expand.

21
May
wm_GALAXY S III Product Image (8)_B

[Download] Goodies From SGSIII: Live Wallpapers, Static Wallpapers, Ringtones, Alarms, And Notifications

Posted by in Galaxy S III, News

As you probably know, the full Galaxy S III ROM leaked over the weekend. Naturally, users over the XDA forums started picking it apart and making al the goodies available for download. In fact, we've already taken an in-depth look at S-Voice.

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Top: Live Wallpapers; Bottom: Static walls

Now, a little something for everyone: media files, static wallpapers, and live wallpapers have been extracted for your downloading pleasure. They're nothing insanely profound here, but we all love new alarms, notifications, ringtones, and wallpapers from new gadgets - especially high end pieces of kit.

To grab the downloads, hit the links below.

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