Thursday, January 10, 2013

Android Authority

Android Authority


Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy Grand Duos firmware is out ahead of phone’s release

Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:08 AM PST

galaxygrand

Did you know that Samsung has a 5-inch smartphone of its own? The Samsung Galaxy Grand (GT-i9080) – as it's called — isn't garnering too many headlines probably because it's just teased last month. Though you can't find the phone in stores yet, the first firmware for the dual-SIM variant, which is known as the Galaxy Grand Duos, is already available to download.

You can get the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos (GT-i9082) on Sam Mobile's website. From the description, it looks like the phone will be released in Russia and India first, possibly sometime in the first quarter of the year.

Despite the gigantic size, the Grand doesn't sport a 1080p screen. Instead, you’ll find that it boasts a not so hot WVGA display (800 x 480 resolution). Other expected specs include a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP main camera, and the aforementioned Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

The Galaxy Grand and Galaxy Grand Duos will come in Chic White and Dark Blue. Those who are looking for some pricing information will have to wait until Samsung spills the beans some more.

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Pebble smartwatch to start shipping to backers on January 23

Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:37 AM PST

pebble-watch

Following the December delivery setback, the good news keeps rolling in for backers of the e-paper Pebble smartwatch. After passing the FCC hurdle at the end of last month, we learned a couple of days back that the company was going to make a big announcement at CES, and it looks like the team didn't disappoint on that front.

As announced during its Las Vegas press event, the Pebble watch will be heading to Kickstarter backers starting from January 23.

Pebble is pushing to produce 15,000 units of the smartwatch per week, which means it will take about 6-8 weeks for all the orders to be shipped out. Non-backers who like to get the wristwatch can still do so by going to their website and cough up $150, but obviously you won't be receiving one before the 85,000+ supporters get theirs.

We're glad that the Pebble story ends with a happy ending. Can't wait to see the smartwatch arrive on your doorstep? Share your excitement with us in the comments below.

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Top European telcos plan consolidation into EU-wide mobile network. How about competition?

Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:16 AM PST

tower

Europe’s four biggest telecommunications companies are in talks to integrate their services in order to better serve European consumers. It has to be emphasized that at this point the preliminary talks are for integration within the EU market, because these companies have a much larger presence outside of the EU than within the continent.

The integration of services for Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, France Telecom, and Telecom Italia is a matter of economics and scale. It is easy to see the benefits for the consumers, like lower roaming charges, integrated infrastructure within the continent, possible lower costs, and better services for voice and data transmission. Here are a few key benefits.

Single point of contact. For mobile phone manufacturers, there should be no difference whether the European landscape is fragmented or not, but for companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google — which have to talk to different regulators on the continent — one point of contact is a big benefit. Currently, these companies have to negotiate with European regulators, as well as country regulators on an individual basis. With a single company that covers a big part of Europe, entry into the hardware, and software market would be much easier.

Easier billing and monetization. The picture looks even better for developers who want to charge online games via phone bills. Instead of negotiating with at least four companies, they only need to sign up with one in order to be able to accept payment for game use. Increasingly, it is clear that one of the best and most convenient ways for game players to pay for their games is through the phone bill.

Better technology adoption. In terms of technology, a single company operating with a wide coverage can push for better adoption of 4G technologies. Costs for network integration can also be much lower, as well as lower operating and inter-network costs.

These four telcos may be based in Europe, but their biggest markets are outside of their own countries.

  • Telefonica has more than 300 million subscribers, most of them in South America. More than 75% of Telefonica’s business is outside of the Spanish peninsula (composed of Spain and Portugal).
  • Deutsche Telekom owns T-Mobile International AG, which is the holding company for all their businesses outside of Germany. It has presence in eleven countries in Europe, as well as the United States. It has more than 170 million subscribers worldwide.
  • France Telecom, for its part owns Orange, which has a presence in 24 countries including France, with around 150 million subscribers around the world.
  • Telecom Italia, also has a major presence in South America, with more than one-third of its income coming from Argentina and Brazil.

Besides their dominating presence in their home countries, they also have interests and cross-ownership  and presence within the other countries in the European Union. It is not a far stretch that any movement towards an integration of this sort will result in cross ownership of the current companies. If government regulators do not allow a single company as a unifying presence, an alternative is to launch a holding company, which will then own the integrated company. In theory, at least, this is likely to be more acceptable to regulators, and should be within anti-trust rules.

With this kind of coverage, regulators will have their work cut out for them. The main barrier to such an implementation is the fear of a monopoly, which would make it harder for the smaller players, like local companies and private startups. Additionally, anti-trust is about not letting any single entity control the market, which unfortunately, a conglomeration like this is bound to have, whether intentionally or not.

Is Europe ready for a unified mobile network?

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The AT&T Pantech Discover is coming to Verizon as the “Pantech Perception”

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 08:00 PM PST

Yesterday AT&T announced a 4.8 inch 720p handset called the Discover. It has a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 13 megapixel camera, and it even has 4G LTE support. It goes on sale this Friday for just $50 with a two year contract, which makes it an incredible bargain. But what if you’re a Verizon customer? According to @evleaks, the famous Twitter user who somehow manages to leak everything before everyone else, the Discover will be landing on Verizon as the Perception. When exactly and for how much? We can except to see the Perception on store shelves in Q1, but pricing information has yet to be divulged.

Should you buy this phone? Here’s the thing, Americans think that what they pay for a phone when they leave the store is an important number. It actually isn’t. Whether you get a $50 Discover or a $300 Note II, you’re still going to have the same phone bill for the next two years. Is it worth it to save $100 or $200 when you’re going to be locked to a device for the next 24 months of your life? We say no, but at the same time we understand that there are people out there who are not that financially well off.

Just to put things into some perspective, the Galaxy S3, arguably the best phone of 2012, can be had on AT&T for just $150 more. That’s basically an extra $6.25 per month for the duration of a 2 year contract. On Verizon the S3 is the same price, but they’re also offering the 4G LTE enabled Nexus for just $50.

Buying a smartphone is hard, we get that, but we suggest you think more about your bill than what you pay for your phone. Most of you would be fine using a prepaid plan from Straight Talk. There’s no 4G LTE, but can you really say no to $45 per month for unlimited everything?

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Lenovo announces five more Android phones, none of them to hit the EU or USA

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 07:13 PM PST

Lenovo announced their flagship smartphone, the K900, earlier this week. For those of you who don’t remember why it’s special, it’s basically a 5.5 inch 1080p monster with a dual core Intel 2 GHz Atom processor. We thought that would be the only device from Lenovo at CES, but nope, we couldn’t have been more wrong. The company just announced five handsets. Let’s run through all of them briefly.

First up is the S890. It’s highlight feature is the 5 inch screen, which sadly only does 960 x 540 pixels. That’s better than the 5 inch Galaxy Grand from Samsung, but worse compared to just about every other 5 inch smartphone on the market. It does have an 8 megapixel camera however, so maybe it’s not too bad?

Next up is the S720. It has a smaller 4.5 inch screen, but it has the same resolution. It’s main features are dual SIM support and a massive 2,000 mAh battery. It too has an 8 megapixel camera.

The P770 doesn’t come with any specifications, except for the battery, which is rated at 3,500 mAh. It’s a phone meant for business users. It even comes with anti-virus software preloaded. That’s not exactly a good sign that Chinese Android phones need such software, but hey, this is the world we live in.

Moving on lower down the food chain, there’s the A800. It’s a dual core 1.2 GHz device, dual SIM, with a 4.5 inch FWVGA (854 x 480) display. There’s a 2,000 mAh battery on-board, and … that’s about it.

Finally there’s the super cheap A690. It has a single core 1 GHz processor, 4 inch 800 x 480 screen, and it too has dual SIM support. Other than that, nothing was mentioned.

If yo’re looking for some hard numbers regarding pricing and ship dates, we’re sad to say this, but they weren’t provided. More importantly, there’s a very high probability that you’ll never see these phones on the streets of your local country, unless China is the place you call home.

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LG shows off 5.5 inch 1080p, 7 inch 1920 x 1200, and 12.9 inch 2560 x 1700 displays

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:49 PM PST

LG didn’t announce a 5.5 inch 1080p phone at CES, and for some strange reason people are upset. We’d rather the company announce that device and then ship it a month later instead of repeating the horrible mess that was the Optimus 4X HD. Remember that thing? It was announced in February 2012, but it didn’t start shipping until half a year later!

Forgetting about phones for a second, LG is a company that should be recognized for their amazing screen technology. Regardless of what you think of Apple, there’s a reason that they depend on LG for the panels that go into most of their high end devices. With that in mind, we’re pleased to announce that LG has decided to demo three LCD panels at CES that we should see in devices later this year.

Starting with the one we all pretty much knew about, LG demoed a 5.5 inch 1080p LCD. Is it any coincidence that Lenovo decided to cram a 5.5 inch 1080p LCD into their Intel powered K900? We think not. We don’t have any official confirmation that LG is supplying Lenovo with that particular panel, but it’s not too hard to connect the dots.

The second display is more interesting. It measures 7 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. That means it isn’t 16:9, it’s more like 16:10. Could this panel end up in a refreshed Nexus 7? We certainly hope so, our eyes would definitely appreciate that.

And last up is a curious beast that’s 12.9 inches diagonal and does 2560 x 1700 pixels. No, that isn’t a typo. Would such a panel be used inside a tablet or a laptop? What about one of those new fangled hybrid devices that serve both functions? Again, we’re baffled, but remain incredibly curious.

Like we said earlier, these three displays will be in 2013 products, so now we just wait.

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Samsung wants to sell more chips to up and coming Chinese smartphone makers

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:22 PM PST

There isn’t a single thing you can point to that can explain Samsung’s current market position. It’s the combination of component manufacturing, ridiculous amounts of advertising, and just plain good products that have given the South Korean handset maker the top spot in the mobile space. Focusing on the component manufacturing for a moment, without Samsung there would be no iPhone. In fact, every device that runs iOS has a chip inside that was produced at a Samsung factory. We know that Apple wants to distance themselves from Samsung, so that presents an important question: What’s Samsung going to do with all the chip building capacity they’ve been building up over the years?

The obvious answer is to simply make more Samsung phones, but according to Stephen Woo, President of Samsung’s System LSI business, the company wants to do something a bit different. They want to help out the little guys, companies like Huawei and Lenovo, by building chips for them. Here’s what he told Reuters in an interview earlier today:

“As there are just two smartphone makers that are doing really well, chipmakers supplying them have grown in tandem. So we plan to bolster our relationship with those key customers. We should diversify our customer base and are making such efforts already, adding some Chinese customers. We see emerging players who have potential to grow in smartphones and we will continue to make efforts to supply them with our chips.”

One thing Woo mentioned was the importance of the baseband, otherwise known as the part of the phone that allows it to connect to a cellular network. Woo bluntly said “we don’t have it.” He said Samsung is exploring their options, which is corporate slang for acquiring another company. Considering that ST-Ericsson will soon cease to exist, Samsung joining forces with Ericsson would give Qualcomm some proper competition.

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Samsung’s plastic is very cheap. The best smartphone is from Huawei, says Huawei CEO

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 01:56 PM PST

Ascend Mate

We’re all for “dogfooding,” but if you’re going to make a bold claim like this one, then you had better have the specs, market results and user opinion backing you up. Still, it has not stopped Huawei consumer electronics CEO Richard Yu from making this statement at an interview CES in Las Vegas. The company has introduced its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate at the annual electronics trade show, where it has disclosed plans to convince U.S. carriers to offer high-end devices to consumers.

Huawei has been known for its low-end devices, and may be known more to enterprise and industry customers as a provider of telecoms equipment. Yu wants to change this image, though, and Huawei’s latest top-of-line offerings are meant to convince buyers of the brand’s quality. The Ascend Mate, for instance, with its behemoth screen, is meant to challenge dominant phablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 at their own game. Huawei has also introduced its Ascend D2, which is likewise a phablet, but with a smaller 5-inch form factor, quad-core processor and overall great hardware.

Even as it can attract fans for sheer specs (and size), Huawei will need to attract American carriers if it wants to get on the right track to consumers’ hands and pockets. It seems there have been roadblocks along the way, though, such as a Congressional inquiry alleging that Huawei is installing backdoors into equipment meant for the Chinese government to spy on sensitive information, along with compatriot ZTE.

Yu told The Verge that the carriers actually “like the product,” but the company will “need some time to get trust” from its target market. Huawei is even willing to sacrifice profit margins if only to encourage more sales through reduced prices. Comparing the company with its major competitors, the CEO slammed both Apple and Samsung for their seeming lack of innovation in their product lines today.

“Steve Jobs is gone,” he said of Apple. “Now there is lack of innovation.”

Yu has also criticized Samsung for cutting corners even on its supposedly high-end devices. In particular, they have scrimped on materials even in flagship devices like the Galaxy S3, points out Yu. “Their plastic is very cheap.”

“The best smartphone is from Huawei. Not from our competitors,” says Yu. Would you agree?

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Technologies we’re looking forward to in 2013

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 12:56 PM PST

future tech

With CES 2013 happening right now, it's a great time to speculate on what's coming up in 2013.

By the time this week is over, we'll have a great understanding of the direction technology is headed long term, as well as what we can expect to see immediately. Some of what you'll see and read this week is of companies showing off, as is de rigueur at trade shows like CES. Some of it you'll never see, and some you will see very soon.

Our job here is to talk about the next curve in the road. Looking too far into the distance can be dangerous, so we won't ahead of ourselves. 2013 should bring us some great stuff, from TV to mobile devices and all things in between. Will we finally see widespread adoption of wireless charging for our phones? Will we finally not see our TV? Only time will tell, but we won't be waiting long to find out.

wireless_charging_diagram

All charged up

It seems that one of the oddest thing about being mobile is the need to plug a device in. We're supposed to truck these things around with us everywhere we go, but then plug it in at some point. Batteries are continually being tasked with more and more device to power, so it's not surprising that our battery life suffers. Plugging in seems like such a holdout of years gone by, so why are we still doing it?

We've seen wireless charging with the Palm Touchstone and Powermat charging mats, so it's not as if wireless charging is altogether new. The ability to charge without connecting a device is great, but just not necessary. If you'll still have to put your phone in one spot to charge, then the only luxury is not plugging it in. Your only real benefit is not dealing with wires, which is not really troublesome to begin with. With long range charging, all that could change. The ability to have your phone charging in a room rather than a pad on the desk is much more convenient and interesting.

Is true long-range wireless charging possible?

The basic principle of our current wireless charging is called magnetic induction. It's pretty straightforward, too: you put your device on a charging pad, and it charges due to the short range magnetic current your device picks up via the contact with that pad. With long range wireless charging, the technology is quite different. Long range charging uses what's called near field magnetic resonance. It operates much the same as the wireless charging we know now, just on a larger scale. That scale is currently being imagined at 1-2 meters, which is a significant start. Once an eligible device enters the charging "field", it will automatically do its thing. No pads to set it on, no cables or cords.

Long-range wireless charging would be really convenient. You could have charging hotspots like the WiFi hotspots we have now. Your car could charge all your devices while you travel with no need for clumsy cables and cords. The same could be said for any mode of transportation, really. The bus or metrorail could attract many more commuters if that were a feature, and I’d be willing to bet Starbucks is on board.

Is there a downside to this? Sure there is. For starters, that technology described above is patented by Apple. Apple and patents equals trouble, so it may not be readily available. The only workaround to that particular technology involves antennas, but that sounds very peculiar. It doesn't seem prudent to place yourself inside of a giant magnetic field full of antennas. With either of the long-range wireless charging technologies, we don't know what the effect on humans will be. Even on a small scale, it's a device or antenna emitting microwave frequencies. Is that really healthy for us?

Damn-You-Modern-Television

Back to the future

The television was the first domino in a long line of visual technology. The first TVs looked like a Nexus 7 glued to a refrigerator, but it was a breakthrough. We've come a long way since then, and what we're being teased with lately is no exception. If Samsung has their way, we'll have gone from those bulky living room centerpieces to little more than a frame on the wall.

In the past few years, TV sales have been a declining market. A 6% dip last year was significant, and the market is only expected to even out in 2013, not grow. What happened? Why has the TV market taken such a downturn? The answer is complex, but fairly straightforward. Much of it has to do with our changing wants, while some of it has to do with perception.

Traditional Cable TV has experiences a large loss of subscribers in the past few years. For a variety of reasons, people are either discontinuing or not signing up for service. As such, we simply don't watch as much TV, so buying the newest and slickest TV is just not important to consumers now. Even with things like Google TV or Roku, the desire for a thinner, lighter TV is waning. We associate a TV with the act of watching cable, and media has simply evolved beyond that. The concept of doing more with a TV is still a bit foreign to us. A recent study revealing that about half of all internet-ready TVs aren’t connected to the internet may prove that

Now what?

We have seen the rise of the thin, mountable TV in the past five years or so. We've gone from plasma to LCD, then to LED and OLED. The new frontier is 4K, which is an LCD variant. 4K is described best as super HD, which is a bit what OLED was supposed to be. Where OLED failed us was in it's high production cost, LCD is simply more cost effective to produce, and, if 4K can give us a great picture for the money, we'll buy. Manufacturers will also be making 4K OLED TVs, but those will be considered "high end" sets.

Even with great screens at lower production cost, manufacturers aren't putting their eggs into that basket. We've been travelling that path for a few years, and it's clearly not working out like it used to. A great screen is wonderful, but it isn't everything. TVs are getting thinner, and we want them on the wall to save space in our homes. We have little room for a Roku or Google TV, so manufacturers are building that technology right in. For those that don't have the need or want for a new TV, those same devices are being built into small dongles that plug into the back and take up no room.

The wild card

One thing you probably used to do (and maybe still do) in your living room was play video games. The console gaming industry has been hit equally as hard by the current mobile shift, both in sales of games and consoles. An industry that used to be a sure thing has now been made to question itself. People clearly love gaming, as is evident by mobile games gaining in depth and audience. We've left the TV, but not the games.

OUYA is trying to change all of that. While it's not necessarily earth shattering technology, it's a concept that could bring us all back to our TVs. OUYA is an Android based gaming device that uses your TV as a monitor. It straddles the line between console gaming and mobile gaming in a very interesting way. You play Android games, but you have a physical controller. It's open source, so anyone can create games for it. All games are free to try, but developers can make money by monetizing their creations. With some old favorites having been ported, as well as some newer games being developed for Android, OUYA could really drive us back to the living room in hordes.

Samsung flexible display

Mobile flexibility

There is little doubt you’ve heard the rumblings of flexible displays in our future. We’ve all seen the pictures (like the one above) of someone bending a clear display like a credit card, but it's not what you're going to see in the near future. Mobile devices are getting thinner and lighter every day, making them more fragile to impact. What we need to consider is whether or not a flexible display or device is really good for us.

A flexible display is a very cool concept. Our immediate reaction is that it won't break, and for most of the breaks you see, that's true. Most devices with broken screens are due to dropping them or hitting them with something hard, like dropping keys or another device on the screen. A flexible display would take care of much of that concern, sure, but that may be the beginning of our issues.

Our mobile devices are fragile, that much is often painfully certain. A flexible screen has the possibility to do more harm than good in that respect, though. Let's forget about the screen for a second and think about the rest of the device. In a situation where a person drops their phone, the screen absorbs the impact, which is why they shatter. If your device had a flexible screen, what would absorb the impact? A plastic device could simply break, and a metal device could bend. In terms of impact, a flexible screen is a possible lose-lose scenario, and a cracked screen may just be better than a broken phone casing or damaged hardware.

The flexible display is a great theory, but needs work. It has the proposed benefit of being shatter resistant and using 25% less power than the screens we have now, as well as a fairly impressive 1280×720 resolution with 267ppi. Those are nice specs, but not as nice as some we have now. The technology is rumored to be on the Samsung Galaxy S4, so we may get a look at it in real-world use faster than we originally thought.

We've seen flexibility before with Nokia, which had a flexible device that was controlled by bending and flexing it. It still sounds really great, but that was 2011 and we haven't seen the technology come to us. Any device which relies on torsion will wear sooner, and compromise the hardware. If we haven't seen a true flexible device yet, that's an indication that this particular technology is best served as a component rather than a standalone.

Conclusion

Some of the tech we discussed here will be readily available, and some will be a bit later on. A few of the things we touched on may end up being very high-end, or have utility in a different way. Trade shows like CES are good for manufacturers in that respect; they get some very good feedback amongst the slack jaws and giddiness. Is any of it going to be in stores two weeks from now? That's really doubtful. Much of what you'll see are working models of upcoming tech that still need a few bugs worked out.

You may be wondering why Google Glass, everyone's favorite hold-your-breath-in-awe hardware, wasn't discussed. Quite simply, if Google doesn't know what the product is for, we wouldn't either. We've discussed Google Glass before, and are excited to see it someday. We're looking forward to Google I/O to see if Google has a better grasp on the hardware by then. So far, it's a very popular concept that needs work.

If there is anything to take away, it's that your life will get more convenient. You may not have long range wireless charging in the next 6 months, but you'll see wireless charging become more prominent. Will you be able to get a TV that sits on our wall like an empty frame? Probably not, but you'll be able to get one with Google TV built in. A cell phone that looks like Saran Wrap? Not quite…but it will make its way into other tech. Manufacturers are striving to make your life more convenient, but is that what you're looking for? The only feedback that really matters is the feedback you give with your wallet.

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Sprint announces plan to add FM tuners to select Windows Phone and Android devices

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 12:51 PM PST

Sprint

Do you wish that your current smartphone had FM tuner support? If your carrier is Sprint, we have some good news. Sprint has announced it will be bringing NextRadio FM tuners to select Android and Windows Phone devices later this year.

This probably won’t appeal to everyone, as many of us are perfectly content with using online radio or locally/cloud stored music instead. Still, for those with limited data or storage space, this could certainly be a welcome feature.

In addition to working with all your favorite FM radio channels, the presence of the NextRadio tuner will also mean that any app that requires a physical tuner will play nicely with your FM-equipped Sprint device. Sprint also states that the their customers will have a "wide range of interactive listener features" at their disposal as well, though the specifics regarding this statement have yet to be revealed.

There is no word on what devices specifically will be featuring tuners at this point. What do you think, are you excited about the idea of getting a Sprint phone equipped with a NextRadio FM tuner or could you care less?

Show full PR text

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced a preliminary arrangement with representatives of the American radio industry that will enable Sprint customers to listen to local FM radio stations from a broad spectrum of radio companies and aggregators on select Android and Windows smartphones during the next three years. FM radio could be delivered through the NextRadio tuner application or other radio apps or services.

This announcement marks the first time a U.S. wireless carrier would offer the ability to access local FM radio on a broad array of its devices. Consumers today can listen to radio on smartphones by streaming over the Internet. As part of this plan, Sprint customers could use their smartphones and the NextRadio tuner to listen to local FM radio stations.

With the NextRadio tuner – expected to be available later in 2013 – Sprint customers would enjoy a wide range of interactive listener features not available today and would have the availability of local FM radio at their fingertips to access all forms of broadcast information. Demonstrations of NextRadio will be offered at booth 9033 in the Central hall during CES.

Fared Adib, senior vice president, product development and operations at Sprint, stated, "We look forward to bringing Sprint customers another entertainment choice through NextRadio. This new, easy-to-use service adds another dimension to the versatility of our wide array of smartphones and will deliver a new avenue for thousands of local radio stations across the country to reach our customers."

Gordon Smith, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, said, "This opportunity combines the strengths of the Sprint network with the impact of America's radio stations. It is the type of business-to-business partnership that recognizes the unique strengths of the wireless networks and the radio industry and provides services that are so important to the American people."

Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel, noted, "This is a great development for the radio industry, one which will help us bring the content and services that only radio can provide to the wireless system. It’s an important benefit for consumers across America, and we are pleased to participate in this effort.”

Jeff Smulyan, CEO of Emmis Communications, who acted as principal negotiator for the radio industry, added, "Today is a remarkable day for our industry. I am gratified by the unity I have seen in our industry. It seems every broadcaster I know has supported this effort, and I am grateful to the tireless efforts of industry leaders, from the largest companies to the owners of the smallest stations … all of whom have helped us reach this agreement. While there is much work to be done, today is a critical first step."

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served nearly 56 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

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Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


Hands-on: NVIDIA Shield Android gaming handheld [VIDEO]

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:23 PM PST

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The time has come, ladies and gentlemen. We, at Phandroid, have officially gotten our hands on the Nvidia Shield and to put in plainly: I’m feeling a bit like the Kelly Clarkson smash hit, “A Moment Like This.”

NVIDIA-Shield-2 NVIDIA-Shield-6 NVIDIA-Shield-8 NVIDIA-Shield-4 NVIDIA-Shield-5 NVIDIA-Shield-9 NVIDIA-Shield-3 NVIDIA-Shield-1 NVIDIA-Shield-7

The one handheld that’s set to put Android gaming on the map, the Nvidia Shield takes everything you love about Android — stock Android experience, multitasking, social networks — and combines it with a world class gaming experience. Powered by a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 processor (based on A15 architecture, and 72 GPU cores), the Nvidia Shield ain’t no joke. This is a serious gaming machine. ‘Course, we told you guys all about the device multiple times in previous posts, so for now, we’re going to get straight to our sweaty hands-on video, shot only moments ago. Take a look.

Overall, I’d say the device felt solid. Top notch controls, solid build quality, sound rumbled in your hands, gorgeous display. Combine that with top of the line specs, a stock Android experience, and more ports than you can shake a stick at and the Nvidia Shield is sure to be on everyone’s birthday/Christmas/wish lists. In short, the Alisha Keys’ chart topper “This Girl Is On Fire,” was inspired by Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun. The man has struck Android gold.

Modder makes cradle-enabled game controller out of Gameboy chassis and Wii controller guts [VIDEO]

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:26 PM PST

It looks like MOGA has been inspiring some folks lately. YouTuber Chad Boughton uploaded a video of his awesome creation — a wireless game controller made out of an old Gameboy and some Wii controller parts. The Gameboy was carved to house a cradle that fits the Galaxy Nexus (Chad’s device of choice) perfectly, and the buttons were rewired with the Wii’s.

He then uses the Wii Controller IME app as the driver that helps it all go. This custom modification isn’t something that he’s looking to put up on something like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter, but we wouldn’t mind a walkthrough for those of us feeling a bit nostalgic.

Some YouTube commenters even suggested he use an NFC sticker to automate the tasks of turning on Bluetooth, enabling the Wii IME app and setting everything else up to get ready to game. It’s not a bad suggestion at all. Unfortunately those of us not skilled enough to pull this off can’t do much more than watch the YouTube video above to see it in action, so go ahead and hit the play button to do just that.

Hisense Pulse and Google TV at CES 2013

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

Hisense was on hand at CES to show off their latest lineup of smart TVs featuring the Android-baed Google TV, a lineup of HD big screens that nicely compliment the company’s smaller Pulse box. If you’re not familiar with the Hisense Pulse, in form and feature it is very similar to another Google TV product, the Vizio Co-Star.

The design seems to be the trend with Google’s partners in recent months (see: the Asus Qube). Rather than create a bulky set-top box, Google TV manufacturers are pushing toward smaller devices that take advantage of mobile-sized components. You still get full connectivity, as you would with any other Google TV, as well as a full suite of apps for finding video content and more.

While the Pulse will work with just about any HDTV (provided you have an HDMI connection), if you’re in the market for a complete set Hisense also offers their Smart TV range as an all-in-one option from 32 inches and beyond. A quick look around offered a fairly typical Google TV experience on some surprisingly elegant televisions. And the image quality wasn’t half bad either.

Hisense isn’t exactly the first name you think of when you start shopping for a new HD set, but they are looking to make a bigger push. If their showing at CES this year is any indication, expect to see more from them in the future.

Eyes-on: Lenovo K900 at CES 2013

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST

If you live outside of China you likely won’t ever get your hands on the Lenovo K900. If you are attending CES, you’ll have a hard time as well. We got to marvel at the 5.5-inch piece of machined Android goodness under a thick layer of glass, and while we can’t speak to the phone’s performance we can definitely attest to its design.

The K900 looks to be available in a variety of metal finishes. Brushed steel, diamond-plate, or a gold variant that looks like it could be housed at Fort Knox. Considering we only got to ogle the handset, build quality will remain a mystery (as well as how Lenovo handled the antenna placement considering all the interference normally caused by metal casings).

The K900 spots a spec sheet to rival the best of them. It packs a 5.5-inch 1080p HD display, class-leading 13MP Sony Exmor camera sensor, and Intel’s latest Atom processor for mobile devices. Thanks to its unique design it packs it all in a frame only 6.9mm thick. Yes, this thing is pretty slim.

It’s a shame Lenovo won’t be bringing this to other markets, but the number of hurdles the company would need to jump to make that happen has killed any chance for us to get a closer look at the phone. Those in China and certain other emerging markets will see the phone starting in April.

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Redbox Instant to launch in March; Android app updated for Nexus 10 support4

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 04:12 PM PST

A lot of folks are having trouble getting invited to RedBox Instant, the company’s video streaming subscription service, right now. It’s a limited beta that requires an invitation, so unless you can find a buddy to give you a code or find some way to get a code through the invitation form you won’t be able to use it quite yet.

Folks will be happy to know that the wait will soon be over, though, as CEO Shawn Strickland has confirmed the service would fully launch at some point in March. RedBox Instant is a service brought to us by the collaboration between RedBox and Verizon.

It’s a fitting marriage considering each company’s emphasis on the color red in their marketing and branding, but there doesn’t seem to be any other strategic move as the beta is currently open to anyone that can procure an invite. The service will cost $8 a month and give users access to thousands of titles to stream, including more mainstream and recent rental options for an added cost.

For that price you’ll also be getting 4 DVD rental credits per month, so if you visit one of the 42,000+ kiosks frequently this isn’t a bad deal at all. Those able to get an invite right now will get the first month and four credits for free, so it’s the perfect opportunity to try out RedBox as a whole if you’re not sure what it’s all about. You can try your luck here or ask around if you’re interested.

In related news, the RedBox Instant app has been updated in the Play Store. The good news is that the Nexus 10 is now supported, and the changelog also exclaims that the developers “squashed some bugs.” Unfortunately they didn’t squash the one issue holding many people back from using the service — the fact that rooted users are denied access.

That stunt has earned the app a 1.5 star rating in the Play Store, and while most rooted folks can disable superuser in the SuperSU app it’s something we wish RedBox obliterated altogether. I digress, though — the fear of piracy will do that to a company. Download the app and give it a try if you have an invite and are either not rooted or can disable superuser access.

Pantech Perception for Verizon leaked

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:45 PM PST

Pantech had a big announcement to make with AT&T earlier this week, but it looks like the OEM will have some noise to make with Verizon very soon, too. The latest leak delivers us our first look at the Pantech Perception, a phone which should attract quite a few eyes if suspicion of a sub-$100 price tag is accurate.

Pantech’s device will employ a 720p display, Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor and more. We’re quite certain you can expect 4G LTE radios inside this thing, and 1GB of RAM wouldn’t be far off the mark either. It’s tough to say what else to expect, though, so we won’t play the guessing game too much.

The Pantech Marauder, Verizon’s current offering from the South Korean manufacturer, wasn’t too much of a looker, but Pantech has stepped its game up as of late and is looking to position its smartphones in a premium space without the typical premium price. It’s a great strategy to help break into a fierce North American market, but only time will tell if consumers respond the way Pantech expects.

[via Unwired View]

NYC’s Southwest Chelsea neighborhood to be blanketed by free WiFi courtesy of Google

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 01:32 PM PST

You may remember our prediction post back when the new year kicked off. One of those predictions was that Google would look to begin a network of free public WiFi in many areas of America. It was little more than wishful thinking — at least for the foresight of a quick beginning for this year — but Google just might be showing signs of such an initiative.

The company has sort-of gotten started on a trek of free public WiFi as it will work with the Chelsea Improvement Company to provide service to residents of the Southwest Chelsea neighborhood in New York City. While Google’s motives might be a bit selfish — one of its offices is in that area — it’s still a start that could lead to some very exciting times in the future.

Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side Highway, as well as the neighborhood’s public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park, and Gansevoort Plaza.

To be honest we don’t expect a ton of other areas to get this same treatment even within the next five years, but the fact that Google wants to try it out with this relatively small neighborhood gives us hope for the popularity of public WiFi hotspots in the United States. Read on for the full press details.

Southwest Chelsea to Become First WiFi Neighborhood in Manhattan

Google Teams with Chelsea Improvement Company to provide neighborhood WiFi

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Google and The Chelsea Improvement Company have announced they have partnered to provide free public WiFi internet access in southwest Chelsea, which will provide free Internet access to hundreds of thousands of people each year. It will become the first wired neighborhood in Manhattan and the largest contiguous WiFi network in New York City.

“We are excited to partner with Google in creating an important digital amenity in New York City and giving thousands of New Yorkers free Internet access”

Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side Highway, as well as the neighborhood’s public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park, and Gansevoort Plaza. The Chelsea WiFi Network was designed and installed by Sky-Packets.

The Mayor’s office and the City of New York’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications worked with Google and Chelsea Improvement Company to transform the two companies’ aspirations into a reality, advising them on installation.

“Google is proud to provide free WiFi in the neighborhood we have called home for over 6 years. This network will not only be a resource for the 2000+ residents of the Fulton Houses, it will also serve the 5,000+ student population of Chelsea as well as the hundreds of workers, retail customers and tourists who visit our neighborhood every day,” said Ben Fried, Chief Information Officer for Google. The network will cover all of the outdoor areas of the Fulton Houses, a property owned and managed by the New York City Housing Authority, as well as several of the local public schools.

“We are excited to partner with Google in creating an important digital amenity in New York City and giving thousands of New Yorkers free Internet access,” said Dan Biederman, President of the Chelsea Improvement Company.

“Each day access to the Internet becomes more and more important to finding a good job or getting a good education, and this neighborhood-wide wireless network will provide that resource to hundreds of thousands,” said Schumer. “This cutting edge wireless network will help to cement New York’s reputation as a leader in technological development, will help the city continue to attract business and grow our booming Silicon Alley, and will take us one step closer to our goal of becoming the most well connected city in America.”

“New York is determined to become the world’s leading digital city, and universal access to high-speed Internet is one the core building blocks of that vision,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Thanks to Google, free WiFi across this part of Chelsea takes us another step closer to that goal.”

“I applaud this important collaboration between Google and the Chelsea Improvement Company to bring free public WiFi Internet access to residents, students, and visitors of southwest Chelsea,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “This public-private partnership benefits the local community while further cementing Google’s role as an important contributor to the future development of the area as a hub for the city’s technology industry. I also want to thank Mayor Bloomberg and everyone at the NYC Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications for working collaboratively to make this possible.”

“Chelsea WiFi is a great new resource for our neighborhood. Hudson Guild will use the network as a teaching resource for kids, as a tool to connect older adults inside and outside the senior center and to stay in touch with working parents. This free Internet access will, literally, help Chelsea stay connected,” said Ken Jockers, Executive Director of the Hudson Guild.

Hands-on: ASUS Transformer AiO all-in-one PC/tablet running Windows 8 and Jelly Bean [VIDEO]

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 01:20 PM PST

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ASUS really has been gunning for the crown of “convertible king,” pumping out loads of devices with multiple functionality. I’m sure you’re all well acquainted with their work on the ASUS Transformer or Padfone 2, Android devices that can transform before your eyes to add increased functionality, different from your typical one trick pony.

Unveiled many moons ago at Computex 2012 and making another appearance here at CES, the ASUS Transformer AiO is just such a device. Combining the functionality of a full fledged Windows 8 PC and an Android tablet, it sounds crazy, I know. Bt this is exactly what ASUS is best at. When docked, the Transformer AiO is fully functional Windows 8 PC, featuring an 18.4-inch 1080p full HD capacitive IPS display, coming in either Core i5 or i7 configurations, up to 8GB of RAM, a plethora of ports, and an optical drive.

For the Android fan, the display can be switched to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on the fly by the press of a button, or when completely removing it from its dock (essentially the Windows guts of the device). A pull-out stand on the back of the display/tablet allows you to position it at an optimal viewing angle on a table, or it can simply lay flat in your lap making it the world’s largest Android tab.

The display packs an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM and in our brief hands-on with the display, was much lighter than expected from a tab this large. In fact, it’s a good thing there wasn’t a camera on the back, otherwise we’d most likely see a whole of unnecessary bathroom selfies with this thing. The keyboard was also built with Android in mind, featuring keys for “Home” and so forth. The mouse was a joy to use, with a small touch pad wheel for quickly scrolling/swiping between homescreens, complete with haptic feedback.

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You can see the ASUS Transformer AiO in an action for yourself via our video below.

The ASUS rep we spoke with told us to expect the Transformer AiO to arrive around March in the US for around $1,200. ASUS also adds that Windows 8 desktop streaming to the display-only portion of the device will hopefully arrive in time for its launch. “How big is too big” discussions aside, any of our readers thinking they might make this their next desktop PC/tablet? Seems ASUS may have finally solved the dilemma of Android fans looking for an Android desktop, but not wanting to sacrifice the functionality of a full desktop OS for a mobile one.

Lenovo unveils 5.5-inch Intel-powered K900

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 12:40 PM PST

Lenovo hasn’t been very active in the Android scene, but the company is ready to start anew with Intel by its side. Lenovo has announced the K900, an Intel-powered smartphone with some very interesting specs to behold. For starters, this thing is on the “phablet” side of the spectrum with its 5.5 inch 1080p display. That nice piece of tech is covered by a nice piece of glass, of course, with Gorilla Glass 2 protecting it.

Under the hood will be Intel’s Clover Trail+ chipset, and aside from sounding like a bag of trail mix it’s a dual-core 32nm SoC. Couple that with 2GB of RAM and we’d say Lenovo has our attention. The device comes in at just 6.9mm thin, and also features a stunning 13 megapixel camera with a maximum aperture of f/1.8.

Unfortunately Lenovo won’t be bringing this beast to part in Europe or North America, but those in China and other select markets will be able to get in on the fun once Lenovo ships starting in April. We long for the day Lenovo finally attempts to go global, but it looks like you’ll have to look toward your options for importing it more than anything. Read on for full press details.

Latest Lenovo Smartphone Pushes Design Boundaries
Top-end device packs premium performance into slimmest profile in class

LAS VEGAS – January 9, 2013: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show its latest flagship smartphone, the K900, a premium smartphone with a super-slim profile whose look and feel make it a must-have for those who will see and be seen with their smartphones. A unique blend of design and performance, the K900 sports a 5.5-inch IPS screen, one of the best camera arrays available in class and a super slim 6.9mm profile, all running on an Intel® Atom processor.

"With the K900, our team has broken down the key functions of the smartphone and redesigned them from the ground up," said Liu Jun, president, Mobile Internet Digital Home, and senior vice president, Lenovo. "Rather than focus on specifications that look good on a datasheet, we've zeroed in on what consumers want and proved that for smartphone users, top performance doesn't require a thick profile. The K900 is a game-changer that looks as good as it performs."

Design
As smartphones have become ubiquitous, customer demands on "top-of-the-line" devices have increased, with design and usability growing in importance. The K900 resets the bar on these aspects. At 6.9mm, the K900 is the thinnest phone in its class by a wide margin and weighs in at a mere 162g (5.7 ounces), making it a device that unobtrusively slips into a jacket pocket or handbag. Made from a composite of stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate in a Unibody mold, the K900 manages to stay strong and look sharp while maintaining its slim profile.

The material alone is not the only aspect that has allowed Lenovo to achieve a design milestone with the K900. The rear camera array is optimized for size with a new sensor and layout that does not protrude from the case, leaving a clean, smooth rear face that doesn't snag on clothing. The design team tweaked the PCB and battery layout to reduce the space used by internal components. And the K900 is topped off by a unique "stripe" ID language that reinforces the thin body and integrates the external components.

While the K900 is certainly sleek, it does not ignore the emerging trend toward larger and clearer displays on smartphones. The K900 is one of the first smartphones in the world to combine a 5.5-inch IPS display with 1080p full high-definition resolution performance at 400+ pixels-per-inch, all under the latest, touch-capacitive Gorilla Glass 2. This gives the K900 supreme clarity and crispness along with plenty of space to capture the nuances of high-definition photos and video, as well as for viewing standard-size web pages.

Performance
Amazingly for such a sleek package, the K900 does not skimp on performance. Centered on the forthcoming Intel® Atom processor platform for smartphones, the K900 is very responsive, especially for key functions such as web-browsing and application-loading. Although Intel® has yet to release complete specifications for the new chipset, Lenovo has clearly maximized the opportunity to be the first to market with the new generation platform.

The K900's camera stands out as one of the smartphone's most distinguished features. As with other functions on the K900, Lenovo has overhauled the camera completely, and delivered a package that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Megapixels is the first specification that many users recognize for digital cameras, and with 13MP, the K900 ranks at the top of its class in this aspect and combines this with an industry-leading, Sony® Exmor BSI sensor for what would already be considered outstanding performance.

With the K900, though, the Lenovo engineering team has gone even further. Recognizing that customers often need to take clear, flash-less photos in low-light, Lenovo has equipped the K900 with an F1.8 focal length lens, making it the first smartphone to offer such a wide aperture on its camera. Combined with its other specifications, the K900 is now a legitimate stand-in for a digital camera in a smartphone. In addition to these improvements to the rear camera, the front camera has also been widened to an 88? viewing angle, the widest available on a smartphone front camera for convenient self-photos and video calls.

Pricing and Availability1
The K900 smartphone will be available from April in China and in select regional markets soon thereafter. Pricing for the K900 will be announced at a later date.

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook.

About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US30 billion personal technology company – and one of the top two PC makers globally, serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo's business is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the IBM Personal Computing Division, the Company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see www.lenovo.com.

Samsung announces Exynos5 octa-core chipset

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 11:04 AM PST

NVIDIA had its moment to shine earlier in the week, and Qualcomm had its own announcements to make for 2013. Now, Samsung’s looking to turn things up a notch with its own Exynos series of chipsets. Samsung has announced the Exynos5, an octa-core chipset that makes use of some pretty interesting techniques to provide optimal battery life while delivering best-in-class performance.

The chipset features two quad-core SoCs, with one being an ARM Cortex-A15 based implementation clocked at 1.8GHz, while the other is an ARM Cortex-A7 implementation at 1.2GHz. The former will be used for the usual CPU-intensive tasks such as gaming, web browsing, HD video playback and more. If you aren’t doing these things then the phone will favor the weaker (but still powerful), more battery friendly set of cores.

The initial product will come in a 28nm flavor, but Samsung is continuing to work to bring that down to 20, 14, and then 10nm over time. With 70% battery savings over the Exynos 4 chipset this thing should scream while providing extremely long battery life at the same time. Imagine a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a 3,300-3,500mAh battery coupled with this chipset — I’m already watering at the mouth.

Of course, phones and tablets aren’t the only things Samsung will look to stuff these things into. Samsung is also starting to use Exynos5 inside its line of netbooks, including the already-available ChromeBook. We’re not sure when or if Samsung will use this particular chipset in a netbook anytime soon, but it certainly is a possibility.

The technology is called “big.LITTLE,” a cute play on what you might use to call a Java package or method in an Android app. Big, little, or anything in between — we don’t care what it’s called, we just want to see it in phones at some point this year.

Panasonic announces 7 inch Toughpad

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 10:05 AM PST

Panasonic looks to be continuing its Toughpad line as the electronics manufacturer has unveiled a new 7 inch device for those looking for a rugged beast. It’s the JT-B1, and the tablet brings military-grade toughness in a decently specced package.

You can look forward to the aforementioned 7-inch display with 1024×600 resolution, a TI OMAP 4460 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13 megapixel HD camera on the back with a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, a 5,720mAh battery, Bluetooth 4, optional 4G LTE/3G radios, and more. You can expect Ice Cream Sandwich for the time being, though there’s a strong possibility we’ll see Jelly Bean in one form or another at some point down the line.

These devices aren’t sleek and pretty in the least bit, but you probably won’t find a tablet as good as this with natural protection as good as this anywhere else. The Toughpad is designed to withstand drops, spills, heat, cold, dust and more.

Panasonic is speaking more to the business and field work crowd with this one, citing many different use cases including inventory control, eForms, field sales, field service, route delivery, eCitations, electronic medical records, inspections, mobile point-of-sales and GIS. We’d be surprised to see a typical user ask for one of these for Christmas or a birthday, but if this is something that interests you then you’ll be happy to know that it’ll be available starting in February.

What won’t please you as much is its price — $1,200 is all. For the specs you get it hardly seems worth it, but the materials and engineering process used to make such a durable device might justify that for some. Read on for full press details.

PANASONIC EXPANDS TOUGHPAD™ ENTERPRISE-GRADE TABLET LINE

Ten-inch Windows 8 Pro-based and Seven-inch Android™-powered Tablets offer Choice to Meet Expanding Business Tablet Expectations

Las Vegas, NV, January 9, 2013 – Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable mobile computers since 1996, today expanded its Toughpad™ line of enterprise-grade tablets with the introduction of the Toughpad™ FZ-G1, a 10" tablet featuring Windows® 8 Pro, and the availability of the Toughpad JT-B1, a 7" Android™-powered unit. Both devices follow the original 10" Android-powered Toughpad FZ-A1 which became broadly available late last year. With the Toughpad (#Toughpad) family of ruggedized tablets, businesses and government institutions have a single partner delivering a selection of highly reliable and purpose-built devices ideal for numerous operational needs.

"For nearly 20 years, Panasonic has engineered the most reliable mobile computing devices on the market," said Rance M. Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "Because our customers know they can count on our products to deliver performance and return on investment, Panasonic – through its Toughbook brand – holds nearly 80 percent market share in the rugged mobile device space. We believe our engineering acumen, vertical market expertise and reputation for reliability, backed by our world-class service, will result in the Toughpad family being the leading B2B tablet solution in the coming years."

Hide Harada, Director, IT Products Business Unit added, "The goal for Panasonic is to achieve 50% market share in the ruggedized tablet space by 2015."

Toughpad tablets are designed for mission-critical and highly mobile workers in fields such as the military, construction, healthcare, public safety, utilities, retail, maintenance, supply chain logistics and insurance. The devices are ideal for a host of usage scenarios, including inventory control, eForms, field sales, field service, route delivery, eCitations, electronic medical records, inspections, mobile point-of-sales and GIS.

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1: Key Features
Operating System: Windows 8 Pro
Processor: 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3437U vPro™ 1.9GHz up to 2.9GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Memory: 128-256GB SSD, 4-8GB RAM, optional micro SDXC
Rugged: MIL-STD-810G, 4' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)
Display: 10.1", sunlight viewable, touch screen and active digitizer, 800nit, WUXGA (1920×1200)
Battery: 8.0 hours (user-replaceable)
Dimensions: 10.6" x 7.4" x 0.75"
Weight: 2.43lbs
Wireless: Bluetooth V4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional embedded 4G LTE or 3G
I/O: Full size USB 3.0, HDMI, optional micro SDXC, Full size USB 2.0, wired LAN, true serial port or dedicated GPS.

Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1: Key Features
Operating System: Android 4.0
Processor: TI OMAP4460 1.5GHz Dual core
Memory: 16GB ROM, 1GB RAM, micro SDHC
Rugged: MIL-STD-810G, 5' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)
Display: 7", daylight viewable, 500nit, WSVGA (1024 x 600)
Camera: Front: 1.3Mp fixed focus, Rear: 13.0Mp auto focus w/ LED light
Battery: 8.0 hours – Large 5,720mAh battery (user-replaceable)
Dimensions: 8.7"x 5.1" x 0.7"
Weight: 1.2lbs
Wireless: Bluetooth V4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional embedded 4G LTE + 3G
I/O: Micro USB

Toughpad tablets are MIL-STD-810G tested for drops, fluid ingress and temperature, to assure they deliver reliable performance under circumstances that render typical tablets non-operational. Devices feature daylight viewable screens, user-replaceable or serviceable batteries, a stylus for signature capture and handwriting (on the FZ-G1 and FZ-A1 with 3rd party apps), and multiple options for peripheral connectivity.

"Our Toughpad tablets were designed based on years of input from customers," continued Poehler. "This customer feedback is a critical part of the development process and will continue to shape Toughbook and Toughpad devices in the future. The wide variety of devices in the Toughbook and Toughpad families is a clear indication that we build products to meet our customers' needs."

Enterprise-class mobile computing requires an enhanced level of device security and the Toughpad family is designed with this in mind. Security features like encryption, IPsec VPN, trusted boot, root protection and FIPS compliance are available in various configurations of the Toughpad FZ-A1 and Toughpad JT-B1. Compatibility with world-class Mobile device management (MDM) tools are also available to allow IT managers to manage applications, secure devices from unauthorized use and perform many other tasks.

Toughpad tablets are supported by an ecosystem that includes an enterprise-focused app store, developer tools and deployment support. Panasonic will offer a full set of professional-grade accessories to support the Toughpad line, including cases, mounts, printers, keyboards, magnetic stripe readers, smart card readers and multi-unit storage and charging solutions.

Pricing and Availability
The 10" Windows 8 Pro-based Toughpad FZ-G1 will be available in March starting at $2,899. The 7" Android-powered Toughpad JT-B1 will ship in February starting at $1,199. The 10" Android-powered Toughpad™ FZ-A1 is now shipping, starting at $1,299. All Toughpad tablets can be purchased through authorized Panasonic resellers.

Toughpad FZ-A1 LTE Certification
Powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the 10" Toughpad FZ-A1 is now certified on the Verizon Wireless 4G/LTE network.

All products in the Toughpad family come standard with the industry’s most comprehensive 3-year warranty.

Sales inquiries for Panasonic's Toughpad family of tablets should be directed to sales.psc@us.panasonic.com or 877-803-8492.

For more information on the Toughpad family of tablets and detailed device specifications, go to http://www.PanasonicToughpad.com.

Follow the Toughpad™ Brand (#Toughpad):
The Panasonic Toughpad brand can be followed on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and our blog, Panasonic for Business.

Panasonic Solutions for Business
Built on a celebrated engineering foundation, Panasonic architects business technology solutions that help build a better world. Customers in government, healthcare, production, education and a wide variety of commercial enterprises, large and small, depend on integrated solutions from Panasonic to help them acquire, manage and interpret the information that drives innovation. The complete suite of Panasonic solutions addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, high definition visual conferencing, visual communications (professional projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD and 3D video production. As a result of its commitment to R&D, manufacturing and quality control, Panasonic engineers reliable and long-lasting solutions as a partner for continuous improvement. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, which is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC).

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at www.panasonic.com/business-solutions.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and services for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC), and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is committed to becoming the electronics industry’s leader in green innovation by its one-hundredth anniversary in 2018. In the 2012 Interbrand Annual Best Global Green Brands ranking, the Panasonic brand jumped four spots to number six: http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/Best-Global-Green-Brands/2012-Report.aspx. As part of its continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Panasonic Corporation of North America will relocate its operations to a new eco-efficient office tower adjacent to a mass transit hub in Newark, NJ in 2013. Information about Panasonic Eco Ideas initiatives is available at http://panasonic.net/eco/ecoideas. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

Missed NVIDIA’s CES presser? Watch it online here [VIDEO]

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 09:21 AM PST

NVIDIA put on quite the exciting show in Las Vegas at CES, but many of you might not have been in attendance or online to see it live. Well, here’s your chance as the full video has been put up for everyone to watch on Twitch.tv. You’ll want to carve out an hour or two (or maybe close to three) as this is one long video, but it’s worth watching every bit.

NVIDIA shows off its new powerful Tegra 4 chipset, and unveils the handheld gaming experience that it hopes will shake the game up a bit — project SHIELD. Don’t fret if you don’t have the time, though, as you can find more details regarding Tegra 4 here and project SHIELD here, as well as our eyes-on look at the latter right here.

We’ll also be getting our hands-on with SHIELD later on today so stay tuned for even more juicy coverage from the NVIDIA booth at CES. Grab yourself some popcorn, sit back and hit the play button above if you don’t have much better to do.

MIUI downloaded over 10 million times; help donate to charity by downloading a theme

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 08:14 AM PST

In the world of custom ROMs there are a few names that stand out. CyanogenMod is the biggest, of course, with millions upon millions of downloads gracing handsets ever since the original G1. Many popular names have sprouted since then, including AOKP. One unique ROM has taken the after-market world by storm, though, and I think you all know it as MIUI.

The ROM — which is a heavily customized version of Android — has been downloaded over 10 million times to date. MIUI changes the Android experience so much that you might not recognize it at first glance. It’s not for everyone, but the ROM is very beautiful, stable and usable, and it has obviously made quite a few people happy.

MIUI has reached this milestone over a course of 850 days and nights, 957,981+ forum posts, 80 senior engineers and 188 weekly updates to the ROM.

With today’s milestone news the group has announced a new initiative to help donate money to the Beijing-based Smile Angel Foundation. The charity was founded in 2006 to help children who are born with severe cleft deformations. You can help these good people out by simply downloading a ROM called MIUILove. For every download, .1 RMB will be donated by the MIUI team.

There have been 40,106 downloads of the theme as of the time of this writing, which means roughly $645 has been raised thus far. That’s not a ton when you think about the number of downloads, but any amount is quite nice. The theme features hues of pink and has little hearts scattered throughout. Most males might not “love” it as much as females, but give it a download anyway just to support the cause. Be sure to see if MIUI is available for your device, and give it a try if you like what you see.

Verizon 4G LTE covering 89% of carrier’s 3G footprint, on pace to meet year-end goal of complete coverage

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 07:49 AM PST

Much like T-Mobile did this week, Verizon took the CES as an opportunity to give us an update on its 4G LTE status. Big Red reminds us that it currently deploys the world’s largest commercial 4G LTE network, with 473 markets and 273.5 million “potential customers” (meaning those living in America) covered.

The company’s original goal was to get its entire 3G footprint covered by the end of 2013, and it looks like there will be no issues reaching that goal. Verizon says close to 89% of its 3G footprint is covered by the super fast data speeds. By mid-year, almost all of Verizon’s 3G footprint will be covered, and the entire 3G footprint will be covered by year’s end.

Verizon has been ruthless in its rollout plans, outpacing its biggest competitors — AT&T and Sprint — at a very impressive rate. Verizon had a nice head start, of course, but its rollouts have remained steady and numerous even through today. It’s hard to find a major market without the carrier’s premium signal beaming down, and you’d be surprised how many smaller markets are currently enjoying LTE service.

It’s worthy to note that Sprint expects most of its 3G footprint to be covered by LTE by the end of this year, as well as AT&T. The difference is that neither of them promised to be completely finished, and that’s something Verizon can take into this year with its head held high. Read on for full details.

When it comes to wireless service, coverage and speed count. Customers can get the most out of the latest 4G LTE smartphones and tablets when they are used over a pervasive and speedy 4G LTEnetwork.

So it matters that, as 2013 begins, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is now available in 473 marketsand extends to 273.5 million potential customers. Already the largest commercial 4G LTE network in the world, the Verizon Wireless network continues to expand. Currently covering close to 89 percent of its U.S. footprint, by mid-year 4G LTE will be available in nearly every US market currently served by the company's 3G data service. And by year's end, the Verizon 4G LTE footprint will completely cover the area served today by its 3G network.

With the wide availability of 4G LTE, companies can use M2M solutions to make their businesses more efficient and secure, while consumers can use 4G LTE devices to interact with friends, family and brands through mobile video and online gaming. It also means more people across the country can take advantage of 4G LTE's speed and coverage to access new and exciting services, including the in-home solution HomeFusion Broadband.

Fueled by expanding 4G LTE coverage, eMarketer predicts that more than 73 million people will watch mobile video in 2013, a 20 percent increase from 2012. And when a business invests in a Machine-to-Machine, online collaboration or mobile payment solution, it has more potential return on that investment with more deployment options in more parts of the country.

This year, the company also will continue to work with rural communications companies through LTE in Rural America, helping them to build and operate a 4G LTE network in their areas.

As we move forward in 2013 with the expansion of our 4G LTE network, we will continue seeing innovative products and solutions that reshape communications in many areas, ranging from business to education to healthcare.

T-Mobile announces HD voice, will release a new edition of the Galaxy S3 with dormant LTE radios for now

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:56 AM PST

T-Mobile held its CES press conference last night and revealed some very good network-related news. We all know its LTE rollout will begin this year, but details were scarce. We weren’t even sure which devices would be coming to take advantage of the new speedy network, but T-Mobile put the first of those questions to rest by announcing that the Samsung Galaxy S3 would get a relaunch sometime soon.

The new SKU will apparently launch before the network goes live with the LTE radios disabled, but once the towers are up and delivering the juice T-Mobile will issue a software upgrade to enable them. Those who bought the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 may not need a new phone, though, as that phone did come with the dormant LTE radios during its first run. We imagine T-Mobile will issue a similar software upgrade for it.

In related news, T-Mobile has announced its HD Voice service will launch today, delivering crystal clear calls between compatible parties. The catch is that both participants must have an HD Voice device in order for it work, and those include the Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC One S and the Nokia Astound.

In addition to that, T-Mobile announced a $4 billion plan for enhancing its network for hundreds of millions of people. The company will launch 4G (HSPA+ for now, we presume) on the 1900MHz spectrum soon, and has added new coverage to metro markets of Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego and Virginia Beach. 46 metro cities in all will get the enhancements, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and more.

Finally, T-Mobile announced unlimited nationwide 4G would be available with no annual contract starting today. It’s always a good sign when a carrier adds unlimited data services instead of going the popular route of trying to kill it wherever it can. Oh, and T-Mobile and Major League Baseball have entered a partnership to make T-Mobile the official wireless partner of America’s favorite pastime, so don’t be surprised to see quite a few Carly ads between innings.