TS2R Wireless News: MetroPCS Helps Military, Android Ice Cream Sandwich Oct. & HTC Bliss

2011-08-09T22:22:56Z

TS2R Wireless News from Wireless and Mobile News

Full news stories today include a comparison of T-Mobile vs Virgin Mobile deals, BlackBerry Messenger use by London rioters, the European ban of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, HTC Status deals and new leaked BlackBerry Bold/Torch release dates.

Here's the news that's too short to report:

MetroPS Helps Military Families - Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift and other stars autographed personal messages to U.S. military families with loved ones oversees. Along with the messages, MetroPCS Communications, Inc. donated $5,000 worth of international long distance calling cards to the USO's Military Family Care Package program, helping to connect families who are separated by deployments.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Octobered - An unnamed source reported that Android 4.0 Ice Cream sandwich smartphones and tablets may be released as early as October of this year.
HTC Bliss with New HTC Sense - The HTC Bliss is now rumored to ship with a new version of HTC Sense - Sense 3.5.

No Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Tablets in Europe

2011-08-09T22:01:55Z

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will have to be removed from sale throughout Europe due to a judgment in a German court. The Regional Court of Dusseldorf granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the sale and marketing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 across all of Europe except the Netherlands.

Samsung can appeal the injunction but in the meantime can not sell the tablets.

In the United States, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has gotten great reviews especially for the Verizon Wirless 4G model. Verizon Wireless is encouraging buyers of smartphones to also buy a tablet such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola Xoom or iPad 2 $50 off as well as a savings of up to $35 with free activation.

BlackBerry News: BlackBerry Messenger Sends Wrong Messages, RIM Helps Police

2011-08-09T21:42:57Z

BlackBerry maker RIM is helping London police in investigating the use of BlackBerry Messenger by rioters who use it to plan disturbances and undermine police. Concerned citizen are also forwarding messages to police. Here's a case where enterprise security is making Londoners and police feel very insecure.

David Lammy, the U.K.'s intellectual-property minister, today called for a suspension of BlackBerry service to prevent its use among rioters to communicate plans, according to a statement from his office. BBM is encrypted and police can't access it.

Research in Motion posted a message on its official U.K. Twitter account last night saying, "We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can."

Research In Motion's Inside BlackBerry blog was hacked today by a group called Teampoison. The group posted a warning to the company not to cooperate with police.

"You Will _NOT_ assist the UK Police because if u do innocent members of the public who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and owned a blackberry will get charged for no reason at all," the statement said.

"If you do assist the police by giving them chat logs, gps locations, customer information & access to peoples BlackBerryMessengers you will regret it, we have access to your database which includes your employees information; e.g - Addresses, Names, Phone Numbers etc. - now if u assist the police, we _WILL_ make this information public and pass it onto rioters," it said."

Dare 2 Comapre: T-Mobile vs Virgin Mobile - Who's Got the Best Deal and Dress

2011-08-09T20:09:48Z

Last night on TV, we noticed that new commercial for T-Mobile's family voice with data plan, called the "Best Plan Ever." Surprisingly, the T-Mobile gal's dress seems to be no longer a shade of pink but a combination of both pink and orange, which may have think that it may be a precursor to be AT&T T-Mobile merger.

In another commercial Virgin Mobile takes on the T-Mobile gal implies Virgin Mobile is better and cheaper.

Let's compare the T-Mobile plan with the plans mentioned in Virgin Mobile's latest commercial.

According to the commercial, the T-Mobile Best Plan Ever has unlimited data, talk and text for $49.99 for each line. You have to read the fine print because each line includes up to 2GB of full speed data per month, then reduced speeds after that. On top of the $49.99 per line are taxes which could be close to 20%.

In the Virgin commercial the Virgin Mobile spokesmodel points out that T-Mobile will be taken over by AT&t who is last in customer satisfaction. The plan, the commercial is advertising shows $35.00 for unlimited data and messaging which only includes 300 minutes of talk. The Virgin $45.00 a month plan includes 1200 talk minutes while the $55 a month plan has unlimited talk. Virgin Mobile data use greater than 2.5GB per month will be throttled to 256kbps starting in October. It you start today, you will at least have a month or so of unlimited data without throttling. Virgin Mobile plans include most taxes, however sales tax and some fees may be added. Both plans in October will be very close in price. Data speeds on Sprint's 3G network are much slower than the T-Mobile 4G data network.

If you compare T-Mobile prepaid with Virgin Mobile prepaid as Virgin does in their own chart, Virgin Mobile is the cheaper plan. However the advertised plans are very close.

To determine which is better for you, check coverage in your area. Sprint has better coverage in some areas while T-Mobile has better coverage and other areas. T-Mobile also has a greater selection of subsidized phones which are cheaper.

The easiest things to compare in the two commercials are the spokesmodels' dresses the T-Mobile gal wears what looks to be a silk fluffy full frou-frou dress while the Virgin Mobile gals wears a tight-fitting red short red dress which is obviously more stylish.

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HTC Status News: HTC Status of Facebook Phone Freebie For Status Seeking Back-to-School Deals

2011-08-09T19:10:13Z

The HTC Status could be destined to be the back to school status symbol for teens and college students. The HTC Status has a dedicated Facebook button for posting just about everything to Facebook including status updates, check-ins and photographs.

The HTC Status is a "tween" phone between a feature phone and a full smartphone at a very low price. he best features of it are the constant easy Facebook connections.

Facebook content and information is put into the clock, dialer, calendar, address book and photo gallery. The HTC Status also has a special dedicated widget for Facebook chat

Reviewers of the HTC Status concur that the keyboard is great while most of the older folks thought the landscape-oriented screen required too much scrolling.

The most appealing feature of the HTC Status is that you can operate with only one hand like you do a BlackBerry this feature is something students and teens like to be able to do.

More recent reviews really appreciated the quality of the keyboard that feels great in one-hand and combining of messaging but noted that the HTC Status is not a multimedia powerhouse for viewing video but a decent phone.

AT&T is selling it for $49.99 while some retail stores are selling it for free with contract. Amazon Wireless sells the HTC Status for one-cent for both new and renewing customers.

You can also use ourAT&T Coupon-Link $50 Off AT&T Wireless with Plan for new customers with a contract. The offer requires online activation via att.com/wireless on qualified rate plans of $39.99 or more with a two-year agreement.
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BlackBerry News: Fall BlackBerry Release Dates Leak for AT&T & Sprint

2011-08-09T18:24:47Z

CrackBerry published a leaked roadmap from Wireless Giant (BlackBerry) stores showing BlackBerry release dates and prices including the BlackBerry TV (Cyclone) but is listed according to codename. To make it easier for you with have written out the release dates and prices for the most popular BlackBerry smartphones.

The 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 ($49.99) from AT&T and Sprint Touch Bold 9930 ($249.00) have August 21 release dates.

The CDMA BlackBerry Torch 9850 has a September 1 release date and $199 price tag. This most likely is the Sprint BlackBerry Torch .

The BlackBerry TV (Cyclone) will have October 31 release date.

The AT&T BlackBerry Torch 9860 (Monza) is priced at $149 and 4G BlackBerry Bold 9900(Dakota) priced at $199 are shown to have November 6 and November 20 release date respectively.

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 9930 is the world's thinnest phone with a dedicated QWERTY keyboard and 2.8″ touchscreen. Features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1.2GHz processor, GPS, NFC (Near Field Communications), microSD slot, 5MP camera, 768MB of RAM, 8GB onboard memory, and a 1230mAh battery.

The 4G BlackBerry Torch 9860 is called the "multimedia powerhouse" with a 3.7" 253ppi high-resolution touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1.2GHz processor, GPS, microSD slot, 5MP camera, 768MB of RAM and 4GB onboard memory.

As we know from the past, release dates for smartphones can be delayed and can change due to "issues" with networks.

Droid Bionic Photo, VZW Ousts Hotspot-Breakers, HTC Senses Devs & Virgin Mobile Gal Dances

2011-08-08T22:20:00Z

TS2R Wireless News from Wireless and Mobile News:

Full news stories today include, expected Best Buy preorders for the HTC Thrill 4G, an OTA update for the HTC Inspire 4G, the Android 2.3 Huawei Vision, QNX BlackBerry Colt and Samsung Galaxy S II Hercules.

Here's the news that's too short to report:

New Droid Bionic Photos - The Android paparazzi have photographed a candid shot of the Droid Bionic showing all the usually suspected features that came to light in yesterday's FCC filing including a 4.3" touchscreen, global connectivity and HDMI mirroring. (Photo appears at end of this).
Verizon Roots-Out Tethered Hotspotters - It has been reported by ReadWriteWeb that an employee with a jailbroken Droid X who was trying to use it as an unauthorized mobile hotspot and was automatically send to Verizon webpage asking the user to sign-up for a tethering plan.
HTC Dev Website Live with SDK & Code - HTC has launched its developer website, that gives developers access to kernel source code and will show the web tool for unlocking Android bootloaders.
Virgin Gal in Red Takes on T-Mobile Pink Gal - A new commercial shows a Virgin Mobile gal in a hot red dress take on the T-Mobile spokesmodel in pink who is with that old AT&T nerd guy. It shows the price advantage of Virgin Mobile. The video follows the Droid Bionic photo.

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LG Thrill 4G Thrilling News Preorders Soon @ Best Buy for LG Thrill 3D

2011-08-08T20:59:17Z

Best Buy is expected to start taking preorders for the LG Thrill 4G soon. A leaked Best Buy August catalog shows the LG Thrill 3D. The LG Thrill 4G is an AT&T-branded LG Optimus 3D for the United States with a glasses-free 4.3" touchscreen.

First, we thought that the LG Thrill 4G would have an August 7 release date, many believe now that August 21 will be the release date for the LG Thrill 4G. RadioShack began taking preoders for the LG Thrill 4G in July. An unnamed source told Phone Arena that Best Buy plans to take preorders soon.

LG Thrill 4G also allows you to record 3D photos and videos with 5-megapixel dual-cameras with added video stabilization technology that will correct any shaking during recording. Specs of the LG Thrill 4G include a 1GHz dual-core, dual-channel RAM processor, 16GB of memory (8GB on board plus an 8GB microSD card), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It comes with 3D games, such as "Let's Golf 2" and "NOVA," the Gameloft 3D store, as well as YouTube 3D and 3D movies from mSpot.

It is will available from from AT&T. Read all LG Thrill 4G articles.

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HTC Inspire Update: HTC Inspire 4G OTA Android 2.3 Update with Sense

2011-08-08T20:32:20Z

HTC and AT&T are rolling out an over-the-air update for the HTC inspire 4G to update it to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense features. HTC Inspire owners will get an notification on their smartphones.

The HTC Inspire update includes:

Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
New HTC Sense features including udated Application Tray, FriendStream and added Quick Settings in the Notifications window.
Improved Power Management functions.
Improved media experience.
Various minor bug fixes.

The list of features in the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update are impressive, with the addition of download manager, active app management, shortcuts, one-touch copy/paste, widgets, icons, app groups, updated calendar options, camera geotagging, improved email synching, and camera auto-focus improvements.

Users can check for this update by going to Home>Menu>Settings> AT&T Software Update > HTC Wi-Fi software update > Check now. The system update can also be downloaded and manually applied. Performing the system update manually will delete all information from the device. Ensure all information is backed up before proceeding. Information saved on the microSD card will not be affected.

Read HTC Sense Tips.

Huawei Vision's Vision Shown to be Nexus S-Like with Own 3D UI & September Release Date?

2011-08-08T19:56:05Z

Huawei announced a new smartphone the Huawei Vision with it's own customer 3D UI and Android 2.3 Gingerbread which looks like Nexus S with an HTC style.

The Huawei Vision has a 1GHz processor(Qualcomm's MSM 825) a 3.7" touchscreen, a unibody frame that's 9.9 millimeters at its thinnest.

Features includea 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11b/g/n and a full range of messaging capabilities including SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM.

It comes in rose gold, silver or charcoal. The news release stated that the Huawei Vision will be available in selected markets from September. Because the smartphone recently was filed with the FCC it could have a September release date in the U.S.

Huawei is best known for making affordable smartphones and the Huawei Vision may come from the many affordable prepaid carriers.

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BlackBerry News: BlackBerry Colt New Race Horse with QNX but No BES

2011-08-08T19:26:25Z

RIM may release the BlackBerry codenamed Colt, its first QNX-based "superphone," in the first quarter of 2012.

In order to get this smartphone horse to market quickly there will be some compromises, the BlackBerry Colt will have single-core processor and may be launched without BlackBerry Enterpirse server. In order to use email on the QNX BlackBerry businesses will have to use Microsoft Active Sync.

RIM is reportedly aiming to release the BlackBerry Colt some time in the first quarter of 2012, obviously depending on how internal testing goes which is currently in process now.

QNX software is supposed to help make BlackBerry smartphones more competitive.

QNX is full-featured robust that scales down to meet the constraints of real-time embedded systems.

Samsung Galaxy S II News: Samsung Hercules is T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Powerhouse

2011-08-08T18:53:34Z

Hercules was a big, fast and powerful god, the Samsung Hercules is expected to be a big, fast, super powerful smartphone from T-Mobile and now we have a photograph of this gigantic god of a smartphone with a 4.5' Super AMOLED touchscreen and HSPA+ speeds of as fast as 42Mbps down.

We also have confirmation that it will be part of the Samsung Galaxy S II line of super-smartphones.

The photo shows the Samsung Galaxy S II logo as well as the T-Mobile logo on the back of the phone. The unnamed source who supplied the photos claims that the new Samsung galaxy S II Hercules will have a 4.5" touchscreen, Netflix preinstalled with new messaging, email and calendar apps.

The Model number is SGH-T989 for the Samsung Galaxy S II Hercules. Previously it was estimated that the Samsung Galaxy S II Hercules would have a September 21 release date.

Speculated specs of the Samsung Hercules also include, Android 2.3 Gingerbread , 16GB ROM, 1GB RAM, NFC suport and an external microSD for up to 32GB.

Motorola News: Droid Bionic FCCed @ 4.3"Global Phone Like Photon 4G with Netflix

2011-08-07T22:10:00Z

FCC filings are usually a sure sign of a release date in a month or less. Now that the over- delayed Droid Bionic documents have been filed with the FCC , there is hope that it will be released soon, maybe on the leaked roadmap release date (September 8) and some features have been confirmed.

The most useful part is the 'users manual" first drafts and warranty. The touchscreen has a light sensor. Your touchscreen might stay dark if the sensor just above it is covered. This feature will probably help with battery drain. The Droid Bionic will feature mobile hotspots and tethering.

The diagram shows a 4.3" touchscreen it also looks like it has the new music/media player found in the Editors' Choice Motorola Photon 4G. As previously leaked the Droid Bionic has HDMI mirroring and now features Netflix and induction charging.

The Droid Bionic is a global phone in that it has SIM card that can be activated for world travel. It is not clear it like the Motorola Photon that we reviewed today that can also connect to global 3G/4G data networks.

Here are all the specs found from the Motorola development website that appeared briefly for the Droid Bionic followed by what we learned today.

1GHz OMAP4430 dual-core processor.
1GB RAM.
4.3″ qHD touchscreen.
8MP camera.
HD video recording 1080p.
VGA front-facing camera.
HDMI 1.4 video output.
Android 2.3.4
Webtop-connectible.
4G LTE connectivity.
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SIM for gobal roaming.
Netflix.
HDMI mirroring.
Mobile hotspots.

Read all Droid Bionic articles. Read Motorola Photon review.
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Xoom Update News: VZW Motorola Xoom Update to android 3.2

2011-08-07T19:36:40Z

Verizon Wireless is rolling out an over-the-air update for the Motorola Xoom to upgrade the tablet to Android 3.2, microSD support and prep it for the 4G LTE upgrade in September.

The Motorola Xoom software update HTJ85 includes screen scaling, microSD support, adapted movie streaming, movie rental improvements, password recovery and improved Microsoft Exchange synching and security.

Download and installation should take up to 10 - 15 minutes. You will be unable to use your Motorola XOOM during the update the software update size is 15.4 MB. Either it can be initiated by a notification from Verizon Wireless or you can manually initiate the install at any time by going to Settings > About tablet > System updates. Select "Install Now".

Full features of the Motorola Xoom update:

Screen Scaling Compatibility Mode -Ability to switch to double pixel mode for selected applications. When selected, application sub-windows and drop down menus are also doubled. In addition, pixel doubling settings are saved for each application.
SD Card Support - New microSD card support allows you to use a file manager to view all the important files, pictures, music, videos and more stored on your SD card, as well as write content to your SD card via connection to a PC or Mac.
Adaptive Streaming Support for Movies - Adjusts the bit rate based on client bandwidth, providing an improved user experience.
Movie Rental Improvements - Stability improvements to the overall experience. When viewing with HDMI connection, the screen will accurately resize.
New EAS policy: "Allow Password Recovery".
Improvements to Exchange ActiveSync and security.

Read all Motorola Xoom articles. The only 4G LTE tablet Verizon is selling right now is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
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Motorola Photon 4G (Sprint) Review of Reviews

2011-08-07T19:00:00Z

Motorola Photon 4G Rated 4.25 out 5 by Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews

Reviewers of the Motorola Photon 4G raved about its power, great audio/video playing, excellent call quality, global voice/data roaming, touchscreen, media dock, HDMI mirroring to HDTV and fast data speeds. The Motorola Photon 4G received PC Editors' Choice awards from two editors.

The Motorola Photon 4G has many features to make business users happy, including data security and enterprise email. It can also be very entertaining with full 1080p video playing, streaming Netflix, Internet radio and FM radio.

Reviewers were not fond of the Motorblur UI or Sprint ID skinning, photo quality or clunky design. Overall though they noted that it offered the faster data speeds than the HTC EVO 3D . They really liked the kickstand to watch videos. The onscreen keyboard lacks a .com and @ key making typing on it more difficult.

The Motorola Photon 4 has a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The Motorola Photon 4G is a world phone with GSM capabilities, a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen, dual cameras and a kickstand. Other features include Enterprise security, HDMI connectivity, 16GB storage on board, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, hotspots, kickstand and a 1700mAh battery.

So who should buy this top of the line smartphone? International business travelers may need the ability to roam outside the Sprint network at (although it's expensive, you can add a SIM from another country it you are going to use it a lot) along with enterprise security. Early adopters will love the data speeds, media players and Netflix video viewing. Those who like to talk on the phone will like the great voice quality. The Motorola Photon 4G has definitely got a lot to offer.

The Motorola Photon 4G sells for $199 with a contract from Sprint. Amazon Wireless sells it at a discounted rate which today is $179, which may go lower later. Wirefly with a low-price guarantee. ]]> PCMag rated the Motorola Photon 4G 4.5 out of 5 giving it Editors' Choice for its 4G speed, world phone/data access, high-resolution touchscreen, top-notch media players and nettop dock. You didn't like that it does not have a laptop dock. He calls it one of the most powerful Android smartphones you can buy today. He thinks it's better than the Motorola Atrix and is an excellent voice phone with better data connections than the HTC Evo 3D. The SIM card slot is unlocked so that can put in a different SIM when you are out of the country. Benchmark tests were compatible with other dual core smartphones. the desktop dock will let you attach a monitor, mouse and keyboard to use it like a computer. Media Link lets you sync your music, photos and videos with your computer. He also called it a great multimedia phone with the ability to stream via HDMI movies on Netflix to an HDTV. The music player app is epic. He recommends it over the HTC EVO 3D and Nexus S 4G, but suggest the Samsung Epic 4G if you need a keyboard.

Nicole Lee at CNET rated the Motorola Photon 4G 4 out of 5 because it is a powerhouse, has Android 2.3 Gingerbread, dual-core processor, dual-mode compatibility, multimedia features, mobile hotspot, secure data encryption, kickstand and great performance. She didn't like people the design, Motoblur, Sprint ID or photo-quality. The 4.3-inch qHD display is vibrant with some pixelation issues. Overall performance was snappy but slowed by Motoblur with faster data speeds than the EVO 3D. The Photon 4G supports full HD 1080p video playback and plays Flash videos on the web. She liked the improved music player. Call quality was great. Speeds were impressive download speeds averaged around 8.72Mbps and upload speeds of around 1.27Mbps. Battery life was good. She called it one of the best smartphone options for Sprint.

Mark Spoonauer at LaptopMag rated the Motorola Photon 4G 4 of 5 and gave it Editors' Choice for business- friendly features, global roaming and media power. The touchscreen is bright and crisp. The touchscreen keyboard lacks a .com key and @ key. The Motoblur UI is called fine but not as sophisticated as HTC Sense. Benchmark tests were good while the Motorola Photon 4G excelled in graphics with excellent gaming performance. The universal inbox is good feature. International roaming form Sprint is expensive Data roaming is priced at $0.16 per kilobyte in GSM countries equaling $16.38 per MB. CDMA roaming is $2 per MB. Web browsing was fast. Outdoor photos were excellent while indoor photos suffered. 720p video recording was excellent. Call quality was good. HDMI mirroring worked smoothly. Video calling did not work well.

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