Thursday, April 14, 2011

MobileBurn.com

MobileBurn.com

Spotify makes adjustments to free music streaming service

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 04:58 AM PDT

Spotify, a streaming music provider in Europe, has announced new adjustments being made to its service. Spotify will be limiting its free trial service to six months, after which users will have certain limts on playback.
Read the full story here.


O2: Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY nearly ready for sale

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT

Unlike the other UK carriers, O2 has held back the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY gaming smartphone due to issues with the software on the phone. Apparently, Sony Ericsson has issued an update to O2 that has resolved many of the issues that were formerly present. In a blog post, the head of O2's testing team, Stuart Hibberd, claims that the Xperia PLAY is almost ready for launch since the software bugs have been mostly ironed out. O2 expects to publish prices and a release date soon. Anxious customers can head to O2's website to sign up for updates on the PLAY.
Read the full story here.


Google Nexus S 4G up for pre-order from Best Buy

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 04:40 PM PDT

After missing the expected release date of April 6, Best Buy has now listed the Nexus S 4G for Sprint for pre-order on its website along with pricing. The phone is priced at $199.99 with a new two-year agreement, but it still does not have an exact release date - the site just says "Coming Soon." The Nexus S 4G is the same basic phone as the Nexus S released last fall for T-Mobile, but with a 4G WiMAX radio inside. It has a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Read the full story here.


Angry Birds coming to Windows Phone 7 on May 25

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 03:40 PM PDT

Microsoft has let it be known that the immensely popular, bird-flinging game Angry Birds will arrive on the Windows Phone 7 platform on May 25. It was announced among a flurry of other Windows Phone 7 news at Microsoft's MIX 2011 conference today. No word yet on which versions of the popular game will appear first, or whether they will be free or not.
Read the full story here.


Internet Explorer 9 coming to Windows Phone 7

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 02:53 PM PDT

Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows Phone 7, codenamed "Mango," will include the mobile version of Internet Explorer 9, with the same HTML5 rendering capabilities as its desktop counterpart. It will also support hardware acceleration to speed up web browsing. In a demo at Microsoft's MIX 2011 conference, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore showed the new IE9 browser running an HTML5 speed test against Android's and the iPhone's browser, where it handily beat both competitors. The Mango update for Windows Phone 7 devices is expected to arrive this fall.
Read the full story here.


Sony Ericsson Xperia Android smartphone unlocking site now live

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 01:42 PM PDT

As promised, Sony Ericsson has made live a website for Xperia Android smartphone owners to unlock the bootloaders on their handsets. Owners of unbranded Xperia smartphones from 2011 and later will be able to easily unlock their phones and install custom ROMs and other modifications. As of now, the Xperia PLAY, arc, neo, and pro are supported by the unlocker. Sony Ericsson provides full instructions on how to apply the unlock, however it does warn that the phone's warranty may be voided should something go wrong with a modification.
Read the full story here.


Even More Plus plan killed by T-Mobile before take-off

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 01:30 PM PDT

T-Mobile had planned to launch an Even More Plus version of the Even More plan that went live today, but has since decided against it. The Even More Plus plan allowed users who did not sign two-year agreements to have special rates in lieu of a discount on their phone equipment.
Read the full story here.


Microsoft launches TouchStudio programming app for WP7 smartphones

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 01:02 PM PDT

Microsoft Research today announced a new project from its Research in Software Engineering group called TouchStudio. TouchStudio is a Windows Phone 7 application that allows you to script your phone. This project was created around the idea that programs can be both created and run on mobile devices, without the use of a computer. TouchStudio takes programming from a mobile phone to a more serious level, and is expected to offer some helpful and beneficial features. The creators of TouchStudio hope to implement some changes in future updates such as easily available phone sensors, constant cloud connection, and the consideration of the touchscreen as a special input device. Version 1.0.0.0 has just been released to the Windows Phone Marketplace. However, not all the features described are currently available in the app.
Read the full story here.


VeriFone to ship over 1 million NFC-enabled terminals this year

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 12:26 PM PDT

VeriFone, the manufacturer behind many point-of-sale and register systems, claims that it will ship over 1 million NFC-enabled register terminals this year as retailers and merchants prepare for the deployment of upcoming NFC payment systems. VeriFone says that smartphones will spearhead the transition to NFC payments that will eventually replace credit cards.
Read the full story here.


Microsoft shows off next version of WP7, new capabilities

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT

At the annual Microsoft developer's conference, MIX 2011, Microsoft showed off the next version of Windows Phone 7 that is expected to appear later this year. The next version, codenamed "Mango", will offer multitasking support with fast app switching, deeper integration with the phone for apps, and access to the camera and accelerometer in the phones to developers.
Read the full story here.


Microsoft further explains WP7 update delay

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:30 AM PDT

At the MIX 2011 conference today, the head of Microsoft's Windows Phone program, Joe Belfiore, explained some more reasons as to why the update for the OS that enabled copy and paste had been delayed. Basically, problems with a certain manufacturer's phones had held up the update process.
Read the full story here.


American Express taps Payfone for mobile payments system

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:11 AM PDT

American Express, which just recently announced a new account management service for smartphones called Serve, has teamed up with Payfone to deploy a global mobile checkout service. Payfone will integrate its payment processing technologies with AmEx's Serve service.
Read the full story here.


Sprint offers carrier payments for Android Market purchases

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 10:30 AM PDT

Sprint is now rolling out carrier payments for purchases made on the Android Market, meaning anything bought on the Android Market can now be billed to your Sprint wireless bill. The rollout will occur between April 7 and April 14, so all Sprint customers should be able to use the service by Thursday.
Read the full story here.


ASUS sticks it to Google; releases partial Honeycomb source code

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 10:08 AM PDT

Just a couple weeks ago, we reported that Google would not be releasing its source code for Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets to the public at large. While a number of manufacturers and developers were frustrated by this, ASUS made its discontent known by releasing parts of Google's Honeycomb source code on its own. According to the Inquirer, ASUS has not violated any rules, as the manufacturer has complied with GNU General Public License by only releasing sections of the code that fall under GPL, which states that the company must make the source code available that goes with the device.
Read the full story here.


Up close with HTC's Sensation 4G (T-Mobile) Android smartphone

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 09:35 AM PDT

We recently got the chance to play around with the HTC Sensation 4G for T-Mobile USA, a device that will be marketed as the Sensation in other markets. What we saw in our demo was what we had hoped for: sensational. This newly announced smartphone features an updated Sense user interface and runs on the Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS.
Read the full story here.


MIT researchers use GPS, accelerometers to aid wireless speeds

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:53 AM PDT

Researchers at MIT have developed a method to increase data speeds on mobile devices by locating the best access point around a user. The system uses GPS positioning data and the accelerometer from the phone to predict the direction of travel in order to find the best access point to connect to. The method has shown throughput improvements of up to 50 percent, as well as more success with choosing the proper bit rate with which to transmit data. It is not known whether these breakthroughs will make it down to consumer devices any time soon, however.
Read the full story here.


T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot now available

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:35 AM PDT

T-Mobile's new 4G Mobile Hotspot is now available for purchase online and at T-Mobile locations. The wireless hotspot allows up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices to connect to T-Mobile's HSPA+ network at speeds of up to 21Mbps. The hotspot costs $79.99, after a $50 mail-in rebate, when picked up with a new two-year agreement. Plans start at $29.99 per month for 200MB of data access and go up to $84.99 for 10GB of data usage.
Read the full story here.


FCC to re-purpose TV airwaves to solve spectrum shortages

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:02 AM PDT

The Federal Communications Commission has put a plan in front of Congress that would allow it to hold auctions to sell off spectrum used by TV broadcasters to wireless carriers so that it can be re-purposed for wireless broadband. TV broadcasters have put up some resistance to the plan.
Read the full story here.


Motorola and Huawei make nice, drop suits

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 07:36 AM PDT

It appears that Motorola Solutions (the network company) and Huawei have called off their respective corporate hounds. The two companies issued a joint statement saying that Motorola was dropping Huawei as a defendant in its Motorola v. Lemko, et al. case and Huawei, for its part, would drop its case against Motorola Solutions and Nokia Siemens Networks. NSN had agreed to buy certain Motorola Solutions assets, but the deal was blocked by Huawei.
Read the full story here.


T-Mobile unveils unlimited plan for $79.99 per month

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 07:06 AM PDT

T-Mobile has introduced a new unlimited plan that give users unlimited calling, text messages, and data use for $79.99 per month. T-Mobile is offering the new plan under its Even More plan options.
Read the full story here.


INQ Cloud Touch Facebook phone for sale in UK

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 06:50 AM PDT

The INQ Cloud Touch, an Android based smartphone with heavy Facebook integration, is now available for purchase in the UK from the Carphone Warehouse. The Cloud Touch has a 3.5-inch, HVGA touchscreen and Android 2.2 Froyo as its operating system.
Read the full story here.


Google Maps first to hit 50 million downloads in Android Market

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 06:26 AM PDT

Google's own Maps is the first app to hit the 50 million download mark in the Android Market. Maps Navigation debuted with the Android 2.0 Eclair operating system back in late 2009 and provides full GPS functionality and turn-by-turn directions to Android users. It quickly became a headline feature of Android that separated Android from other operating systems in the market. Google offers this app for free, which has shaken up the GPS industry and prompted many users to ditch their traditional GPS units. Version 5.3.1 was just released in the Market, and it allows users to check-in to places on the map and integrate with Google Latitude. Google Maps is free and available in the Android Market for Android phones and tablets with version 1.6 or higher of the OS.
Read the full story here.


Sony Ericsson opens first manufacturer channel in Android Market

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 06:01 AM PDT

Sony Ericsson has announced that it is opening its own channel in the Android Market to showcase and highlight original apps and featured games. This is the first time a phone manufacturer has done this in the Android Market.
Read the full story here.


iPad 2 headed to school kindergartners in Maine

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 05:44 AM PDT

We'll consider these the luckiest kindergartners in the country: the school district in Auburn, Maine has passed a budget that will let the school purchase 285 iPad 2 tablets's for incoming kindergartners for this fall's semester.
Read the full story here.


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