Thursday, March 24, 2011

MobileBurn.com

MobileBurn.com

Sprint launches beta version of new online store

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 01:26 PM PDT

Today, via Twitter, we learned that Sprint is launching a new online store that is currently in beta. According to Sprint, the online store will have powerful filters to help you choose the right phone, noting which phones are "excellent for" this use or "OK for" that use. The new site will make browsing plans a little less complicated, as Sprint has implemented a new side-by-side plan display. Other upgrades include simplifying the process of adding, upgrading or changing plans. Sprint claims the online store is "almost ready to debut."
Read the full story here.


Apple removes"gay cure" app after massive uproar

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 01:23 PM PDT

After seeing over 150,000 names on an online petition and hearing a lifetime's worth of complaints, Apple has finally removed an application from Exodus International that calls itself a "gay cure." Exodus International is a ministry that encourages members of the gay community to find a "cure" for their sexual orientation.
Read the full story here.


Starbucks Card Mobile a hit: 3 million have paid with iPhone, BlackBerry

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:43 PM PDT

The Starbucks Card Mobile app, which allows you to pay for your latte with a barcode displayed on either an iPhone or a BlackBerry smartphone, has been used 3 million times since its launch in January. Once a user has linked their Starbucks card to the app, all they have to do is hold the screen up to a scanner that will read the barcode and charge them for their order accordingly. Testing has shown this to be the fastest way for customers to pay. We also assume it's the fastest way to not leave a tip in the jar for the barista as well.
Read the full story here.


Jabra introduces FREEWAY 3-speaker voice-command speakerphone

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:17 PM PDT

At the CTIA Wireless 2011 event in Orlando, Jabra today announced the Summer launch of Jabra FREEWAY, a versatile speakerphone that features an industry-first three-speaker system and HD Voice Ready, which keeps audio quality high on both ends of the conversation.
Read the full story here.


Motorola Mobility acquiring IPTV firm Dreampark

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:43 AM PDT

Motorola has announced that it is acquiring IPTV software firm Dreampark. Motorola expects to be able to enhance the multimedia capabilities of its devices and its Medios service management software suite. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2011. Terms were not disclosed.
Read the full story here.


HTC Merge global Android slider coming to Alltel first

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:58 AM PDT

Alltel is the first carrier out of the gate to announce that it will be carrying the long-awaited HTC Merge, HTC's first global capable CDMA Android smartphone. The Merge is an Android 2.2 Froyo-powered device with a 3.8-inch screen and a slide-out, landscape keyboard. It has HTC's Sense UI and a 5 megapixel camera that can record 720p (1280 x 720 pixel) video. In addition to the CDMA radio for Alltel's network, the Merge also has a GSM radio for global roaming. Alltel will be selling the Merge for $124.99 after rebate and pre-orders start March 28. No word on actual release date, though.
Read the full story here.


Microsoft's Bing updates mobile site for iOS, Android; WP7 gets nothing

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:52 AM PDT

Microsoft launched a few updates to the Bing for Mobile page (m.bing.com), which will utilize HTML5 to bring faster image search, real-time transit and directions, and app search for the iPhone, among other new features. Unfortunately, since Windows Phone 7 does not currently support HTML5, these new features won't be available to WP7 devices until Microsoft sends out its next update later this year. The iPhone and Android-powered smartphones, on the other hand, can enjoy these Bing updates immediately.
Read the full story here.


Nokia plans to cut jobs at end of April

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:18 AM PDT

Nokia has stated that it will start to talk about job cuts at the end of April in the wake of its deal with Microsoft to produce Windows Phone 7 devices. Since Nokia will no longer be developing and maintaining software for its smartphones, there will not be a need to have as many engineers on board. Finnish labor unions have said the cuts could cost Finland thousands of jobs. Nokia is currently Finland's largest employer.
Read the full story here.


Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android tablet hands-on

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:02 AM PDT

We met up with our friends at Samsung while at CTIA in Orlando and got an up close look at the newly announced Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android-powered tablet.
Read the full story here.


iPad gets single issues of Wall Street Journal for $2

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:54 AM PDT

The Wall Street Journal has announced that it will be offering single issues of its newspaper to iPad owners via its iPad app. Readers can purchase single issues at $2 a piece, or they can subscribe to a Now Edition for $18 per month that includes daily updates to the news during the day. There is also a $4 per week plan called the Digital Bundle that offers access to the Journal's online website, its mobile site, and its mobile device apps for iPhone, iPad, Android tablets, and BlackBerries. Users can view limited content without any purchase. The single issues are available starting today.
Read the full story here.


Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 live video first look

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:31 AM PDT

While Samsung introduced a new version of its 10.1 inch tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, it also introduced the newer, and smaller, Tab 8.9, which is a fair bit easier to handle. The 8.9 features a super slim profile and a dual-core processor and weighs next to nothing. We check out some of the new TouchWiz user interface extensions that Samsung has layered on top of Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the Tab 8.9 in this video.
Watch the video here.


Walgreens' Refill by Scan app makes pill-popping easy

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:28 AM PDT

Remember the old Walgreens commercials set in the Town of Perfect, U.S.A., where Walgreens reminded us just how difficult the real world can be when compared with a place where money grows right off of bank branches? Well, the drugstore powerhouse is staying true to its promise to remain simple and hassle-free, even in the midst of a turbulent and frustrating world, which is probably why Walgreens created the Refill by Scan application. Within the app, take a quick photo of the barcode on your pill bottle and within a few hours, your script will be ready and waiting at your local Walgreens. Users can choose to change the pick-up location to a different Walgreens store, as well as adjust the pick-up date and time. After less than four months of going on sale in the Apple App Store and the Android Market, Walgreens' mobile app Refill by Scan already represents more than half of all prescription refills ordered via Walgreens mobile apps.
Read the full story here.


Apple's iPhone 4 gets another navigation option with TeleNav

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:08 AM PDT

TeleNav has launched its GPS navigation application for the iPhone 4, available for both the AT&T and Verizon versions.
Read the full story here.


Best Buy's MVNO taps LightSquared for LTE coverage

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:43 AM PDT

At CTIA 2011 LightSquared announced that Best Buy will be reselling LightSquared LTE services under a BB brand name, Best Buy Connect, the electronics giant's MVNO. Using satellite spectrum and other spectrum, LightSquared will build out a nationwide LTE mobile broadband network. This news comes on the heels of Cricket's announcement that LightSquared will be providing the LTE network in regions where Cricket does not provide its own coverage. For those that don't already know, LightSquared sells wholesale LTE capacity to service providers, and to date, Best Buy is its biggest customer.
Read the full story here.


Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (new) video first look

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:35 AM PDT

The new updated Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Honeycomb tablet that was revealed at CTIA 2011 features a really sexy new hardware design that is much lighter and thinner than the original. The new design gets a downgraded main camera (now 3mp) but still features a speedy dual-core processor.
Watch the video here.


AT&T CEO: T-Mobile will get to keep pricing structure

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:35 AM PDT

Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility, has stated that T-Mobile will be able to keep its current pricing structure despite being acquired by AT&T. It was unclear as to whether the T-Mobile pricing will be separate from other AT&T plans or if AT&T intends to change its whole pricing structure to match the T-Mobile prices. It is also entirely possible that de la Vega simply meant that existing T-Mobile customers will be able to keep their current rate plans instead of being forced into new AT&T plans. It has been a concern for many T-Mobile customers since the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T that they might lose the aggressively priced plans that T-Mobile offers.
Read the full story here.


Press Release: ZTE Unveils US Website

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PDT

ZTE Corporation, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today launched a dedicated website for the US market as a vital communication tool for customers and consumers in the US market. The site is a critical marketing step in ZTE's commitment to continued expansion in the lucrative US marketplace.
Read the full story here.


Google, Apple, RIM: scrap DUI apps say senators

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PDT

On Tuesday, Apple, Google, and RIM opened up a letter from four democratic senators imploring the companies to remove applications that provide information on DUI checkpoints. Senators Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Frank Laurenberg, and Mark Udall all signed the letter asking the mobile giants to remove the applications, excepting only applications that remove their DUI or DWI checkpoint functionality
Read the full story here.


AT&T would be in spectrum jam without T-Mobile

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 07:41 AM PDT

AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega has commented that AT&T could face short-term challenges with spectrum and bandwidth if it cannot assimilate T-Mobile's properties soon. FCC Chief Julius Genachowski agrees that spectrum is a priority. "Unleashing more spectrum must be a national priority," he said. "Every day we are not freeing up spectrum for mobile broadband is a day with real costs to our economy." The purchase of T-Mobile USA by AT&T will allow AT&T to expand its rollout of 4G LTE service to cover 95 percent of the population in the U.S. It will also allow AT&T greater headroom in congested urban areas such as San Francisco and New York, where it currently has be known for difficulty with reliable service.
Read the full story here.


Nuance introduces FlexT9 for Android tablets

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 07:11 AM PDT

Nuance Communications has announced that it has released a version of its FlexT9 input software optimized for Android tablets.
Read the full story here.


Hands-on with Sprint's Google Nexus S 4G Android smartphone

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 06:44 AM PDT

At the CTIA Wireless event in Orlando, we got the chance to get hands-on with Sprint and Google's Nexus S 4G smartphone, a WiMAX-equipped version of the popular Nexus S.
Read the full story here.


Samsung LTE capable Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet announced

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 06:23 AM PDT

Samsung has announced that it will bring its new Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android tablet to Nordic countries with LTE capabilities on-board. This is the first time a manufacturer has announced that it plans to release a device that is compatible with European LTE bands. Samsung could use the 800MHz or 2.6GHz band for the LTE radio, or it could employ a dual-band radio for greater compatibility across the continent. Verizon Wireless in the U.S. uses 700MHz spectrum for LTE service. It is likely that Samsung will produce a version of the 8.9-inch tablet that will be compatible with that as well.
Read the full story here.


Sprint says AT&T/T-Mobile merger no good for competition

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 06:15 AM PDT

Executives from Sprint have commented regarding the upcoming merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA, and they are not altogether pleased. Sprint claims that the deal would hurt competition and affect profitability for all carriers. "When one competitor has that much buying power they can determine the fate of different products," said Farid Adib, a Sprint executive in charge of handsets. Sprint execs also expressed concerns that AT&T could now have more buying power when it comes to getting pricing from suppliers. Officially, Sprint is not yet opposed to the buyout.
Read the full story here.


Hands-on with Samsung's updated, thinner Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 06:05 AM PDT

During the CTIA Show in Orlando, we met up with Samsung to check out the updated GALAXY Tab 10.1, an Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet with a dual-core processor and, as the name implies, a 10.1-inch display.
Read the full story here.


Apple snubs India in latest round of iPad 2 shipments

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 05:52 AM PDT

Apple released the next round of countries to receive the iPad 2 yesterday with one notable exception: there is no release date for India. Many European countries will be getting the iPad 2 on March 25, while other Asian countries will get it April 1. India, however, was not listed among the countries to receive it. Users in India have expressed their discontent and plan to buy other tablets if they cannot get the iPad 2 in a reasonable amount of time. "If Apple delays with its iPad 2, we will consider buying a tablet PC from another vendor," says K. Purushottam, a business consultant. Analysts comment that India is not a high-volume market for Apple and that the infrastructure to support the 3G versions of the iPad is not strong enough.
Read the full story here.


Amazon Appstore offers Glu Mobile's top games

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 05:41 AM PDT

Glu Mobile, a global publisher of 3D social gaming apps for smartphones and tablets, announced today that its catalogue of top Glu games will now be made available on the Amazon Appstore for Android. Amazon-available Glu games include World Series of Poker Hold'em Legend, Diner Dash 2, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The games became available yesterday upon the Amazon Appstore launch. In an effort to boost early adoption of the Amazon Appstore, Amazon has put in place an initiative that debuts one top-selling game for free, for one day only. Yesterday, Angry Birds Rio took the main stage when the Appstore opened. Today, Glu's World Series of Poker Hold'em Legend will be the featured free app.
Read the full story here.


Hands-on: T-Mobile G2x Android smartphone by LG with dual-core power

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 05:28 AM PDT

While at CTIA in Orlando, we managed to get up close and personal with T-Mobile's latest uberphone, the G2x by LG.
Read the full story here.


Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)