The Official Cell Phone Junkies Thread - Part 1

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by Donut

HTC should just do the world a favor & hit Apple where it hurts. Apple would not show HTC any mercy

HTC is trying to desperately beef up their patents, but they don't stand a chance in the long run. The only possible company is Google after acquiring Motorola Mobility, or they should all band together against Apple. I hate they patent wars.

[antsman41]

Why is the mobile version of this site all weird now?

The "subscriptions" page is unreadable with red text on red background...

[LibidoLoca]

I don't know, I've been having problems with the mobile version for a while now. Sometimes the pages won't load correctly.

[LibidoLoca]

Google's Project Glass Takes a Turn on the Catwalk

Google’s Project Glass arrived with a splash at Google’s I/O 2012 a couple of months ago, but since then we’ve heard little about the wearable glasses prototype. That is until now when chief dreamer executive at Google, Sergey Brin, appeared on the catwalk at the New York Fashion Week along with designer Diane von Furstenberg who showed the glasses on her models.

Project Glass is basically a display you wear on a frame much like glasses and operated with a tiny touchpad on the side, and it comes with a camera so that you can capture all kinds of moments you wouldn’t otherwise be able to catch.

Nay-sayers have criticized the glasses for their unconventional design and for the weirdness of wearing the frame at all times, and probably that’s one of the reasons that pushed Google to feature Project Glass at no other place but the catwalk with actual fashion models wearing them and proving the point that it’s not against aesthetics.

"Beauty, style and comfort are as important to Glass as the latest technology," Brin said in a statement. "We are delighted to bring Glass to the runway together with DVF.”

Check out pictures of the event and how the glasses fit the models and let us know how do you like the Project Glass idea?

T-Mobile Announces Bring Your Own iPhone

It probably shouldn't be a surprise that T-Mobile still isn't getting the iPhone, but it is surprising just how hard the carrier is pushing to get iPhone users to switch. The company has always been fairly good about supporting unlocked iPhones, but now we're seeing the company actively telling its employees to sell against the iPhone, and now there is also the first outward attempt to recruit iPhone users to the carrier.

There can be speculation about why T-Mobile isn't getting the iPhone, but to us the reasoning is pretty simple: Apple doesn't like making multiple models of devices unless there is a good reason. Apple made a CDMA variant because Verizon is the biggest carrier in the US, but otherwise the iPhone hardware you see on AT&T is essentially the same as the one you see around the globe. T-Mobile only has an extremely limited number of areas where 3G is working on the 1900MHz spectrum, and it doesn't have an LTE network, both of which are keys to supporting the iPhone, because T-Mobile isn't nearly big enough for Apple to build specifically for the carrier.


So, T-Mobile has to get creative to attract iPhone users, and that's where the "Bring your own iPhone" marketing comes in. The plan is outlined in a new blog post from T-Mobile wherein the company is going to actively support the iPhone. T-Mobile stores will have iPhone 4S demo units on hand, and staff will be trained to help customers. T-Mobile will also be developing iOS versions of its myAccount, Visual Voicemail and T-Mobile TV apps.


Then there is the monetary incentive. T-Mobile is making it sound like it is a special promotion, but it is really just the new unlimited value plan that was launched last week, which offers unlimited everything for $69 per month to users that bring their own phones. The marketing puts this at a savings of $50 per month over AT&T's plan that includes unlimited voice and text, and 5GB of data. Of course, it also means no 3G unless you're in a lucky area where the 1900MHz spectrum has been lit up for T-Mobile.


The last time we heard about this plan, it didn't have a launch date, but now it has officially been slated for September 12th, the same day as the new iPhone announcement. How's that for timing?

[TheAQU4M4N]

I'm in quite a predicament I have an unused upgrade and I am not sure if I wanna get the Samsung galaxy s3, or pre order the new iphone which I've heard will come out in a few weeks after the reveal. I have been thoroughly impressed with the capabilities of the galaxy s3, but I feel the new iPhone will keep me a iPhone user lol any suggestions?

[LibidoLoca]

I would wait and see the features of the new iPhone before making a decision they should be revealing it this Wednesday, and releasing on the 21st.

[LibidoLoca]

HTC Not Opposed to Licensing BlackBerry 10 Software

Rumors of RIM licensing BlackBerry 10 to other companies have been flying around for months, and CEO Thorsten Heins has said all along that RIM may look to licensing their upcoming software should there be a need. While rumors of Samsung snatching it up have been squashed time and time again, HTC may be a viable option for RIM down the road. According to Mobile Today,Graham Wheeler, director of product management for EMEA at HTC, said:

"I don't have any knowledge but that is not to say we are not looking at it. But from my point of view we are not saying we are closed to a new operating system. We will review each one to make sure it's the best for our customers."

So while HTC isn't saying that they will flat out license BlackBerry 10, there is still and option there to do so. HTC's third quarter sales have dropped quite a bit so they, like RIM, could be looking for a way to get things going again.
The reality of it all is that RIM is already in the licensing business. They have licensed QNX all over the place, so it makes sense that they would do the same with BlackBerry 10 since it's built on the QNX platform. Will HTC be interested in BB10? Maybe. But making any moves before an actual launch (and seeing the market reception) probably won't happen.

Verizon CMO Confirms BB10 at Launch

In an interview with CNET yesterday, Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Tami Erwin spoke about a few devices that the carrier would have available in the coming months. Among the Windows Phone 8 iOS and Android devices, Erwin confirmed that Big Red will indeed have BlackBerry 10 devices available at launch in Q1 of 2013. No other details were made available, but Verzon customers should be happy to know that they won't be left out come BlackBerry 10 time. So far Verizon is the first carrier to fully confirm they will be selling BlackBerry 10 phones next year.

Interesting, it will be kind of weird seeing BlackBerry OS on a HTC (non-RIM) device...

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by LibidoLoca

HTC Not Opposed to Licensing BlackBerry 10 Software


Verizon CMO Confirms BB10 at Launch



Interesting, it will be kind of weird seeing BlackBerry OS on a HTC (non-RIM) device...

That would be a dumb move on HTC's part, as RIM is only still around because of their government contracts.

[LibidoLoca]

iOS 6 Features



LG Optimus G

[Spidey-Bat]

Motorola promises Jelly Bean-less Android buyers $100 credit

This only applies if you have a Android phone from 2011 such as the Droid Bionic or Atrix and the credit only applies for the new trio of phones coming out later this year.

I own a Droid Bionic and I'm getting tired of it. The battery seems to hold less of a charge (it gets to 40% everyday now, before I could go a day or 2 without charging it) and apps seem to run more poorly as of late. What sucks is that it's still on Gingerbread, ICS has been out for almost a year and it's not been released for it. Knowing how companies are, the day the credit will kick in long after I can upgrade (which is May). I'm tempted to switch over to Samsung.

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by Spidey-Bat

Motorola promises Jelly Bean-less Android buyers $100 credit

This only applies if you have a Android phone from 2011 such as the Droid Bionic or Atrix and the credit only applies for the new trio of phones coming out later this year.

I own a Droid Bionic and I'm getting tired of it. The battery seems to hold less of a charge (it gets to 40% everyday now, before I could go a day or 2 without charging it) and apps seem to run more poorly as of late. What sucks is that it's still on Gingerbread, ICS has been out for almost a year and it's not been released for it. Knowing how companies are, the day the credit will kick in long after I can upgrade (which is May). I'm tempted to switch over to Samsung.

I have a Bionic as well, and I'm still pissed about not official ICS update when it was promised two months ago. I'm still on GB, but I'm an addict for flashing, and am running a stable GB ROM (can't remember which) that will tide me over for the official release.

You also have to consider that the Bionic is getting an update, so it might not apply to us.

[LibidoLoca]

Facebook Goes Native on Android

Last month, Mark Zuckerberg had all of his developers switch from the Apple iPhone to an Android handset for the sole purpose of seeing just how poor the Android Facebook experience was. Zuckerberg was hoping that by making the switch, the developers might come up with a suggestion to improve the experience. As it turns out, Facebook is going to do to its Android app exactly what it did to its iOS app, drop the HTML5 and go native. That was the word from the Facebook CEO who was speaking at the Tech Crunch Disrupt conference.



Mark Zuckerberg admits that Facebook made a mistake with HTML5


Last month, Facebook updated its iOS app in a major way. Instead of offering the mobile website and wrapping it in HTML5, Facebook became a native iOS app, giving users a quicker and more responsive experience. And while Zuckerberg said that a native Android app for Facebook would be coming soon, he also said that "it will be ready when it’s ready."

At the conference, the founder of the social networking site admitted that Facebook made a mistake with its mobile app and relied too much on HTML5 instead of just going native. He noted that much of the infrastructure used on the iOS version of the app will be used on the Android app. Facebook seems to be focusing on mobile and more of its employees are going to be working in that area. It's a strategy that has been paying off for YouTube with over 1 billion daily video views shown on a mobile device. The bottom line there is the money coming in from mobile ads which is something that Zuckerberg would like to see Facvebook more involved in.

Details on Google Glass UI

Working for the Wall Street Journal has its perks; in this case it was getting the closest look yet at Google Glass, including some quality time looking at the user interface of Google’s wearable computers. According to WSJ writer Spencer Ante, that UI is still very much a work in progress, although he was still bullish on the concept, likening them to wearable smartphones. His take on the current state of the UI after playing with it was this:


After 10 minutes of playing with the glasses—which the company prefers to call Google Glass, since they don't have lenses—I could see their long-term potential. The device fit well. It was easy to snap a picture or video without taking my smartphone out of my pocket. It was cool to see the information there in front of my right eye, though a little disorienting. I kept closing my left eye, which was uncomfortable.



Of the parts of the UI that Ante wasn’t able to test out were the Google Maps portion, as well as the UI that would let you make a phone (or video) call or send a text message. Of course Google won’t be releasing a beta version until sometime next year (and then only to developers that ponied up $1,500 at Google I/O), so there is still plenty of time to add features and polish to the experience. Ante points out that one thing that would really help would be the introduction of a “killer app” the really drives home what Google Glass can do.

That may emerge as well in the coming year(s), but Google co-founder Sergey Brin already has one feature he loves – setting the camera to time lapse. He indicated that he does this when he plays with his children, with Glass snapping an image every 10 seconds. That way he’s sure to get several irreplaceable moments of his family life preserved for posterity, but without having to interrupt family time by pulling out a phone or camera and snapping the images himself.

[LibidoLoca]

Facebook Goes Native on Android

Last month, Mark Zuckerberg had all of his developers switch from the Apple iPhone to an Android handset for the sole purpose of seeing just how poor the Android Facebook experience was. Zuckerberg was hoping that by making the switch, the developers might come up with a suggestion to improve the experience. As it turns out, Facebook is going to do to its Android app exactly what it did to its iOS app, drop the HTML5 and go native. That was the word from the Facebook CEO who was speaking at the Tech Crunch Disrupt conference.



Mark Zuckerberg admits that Facebook made a mistake with HTML5


Last month, Facebook updated its iOS app in a major way. Instead of offering the mobile website and wrapping it in HTML5, Facebook became a native iOS app, giving users a quicker and more responsive experience. And while Zuckerberg said that a native Android app for Facebook would be coming soon, he also said that "it will be ready when it’s ready."

At the conference, the founder of the social networking site admitted that Facebook made a mistake with its mobile app and relied too much on HTML5 instead of just going native. He noted that much of the infrastructure used on the iOS version of the app will be used on the Android app. Facebook seems to be focusing on mobile and more of its employees are going to be working in that area. It's a strategy that has been paying off for YouTube with over 1 billion daily video views shown on a mobile device. The bottom line there is the money coming in from mobile ads which is something that Zuckerberg would like to see Facvebook more involved in.

Details on Google Glass UI

Working for the Wall Street Journal has its perks; in this case it was getting the closest look yet at Google Glass, including some quality time looking at the user interface of Google’s wearable computers. According to WSJ writer Spencer Ante, that UI is still very much a work in progress, although he was still bullish on the concept, likening them to wearable smartphones. His take on the current state of the UI after playing with it was this:


After 10 minutes of playing with the glasses—which the company prefers to call Google Glass, since they don't have lenses—I could see their long-term potential. The device fit well. It was easy to snap a picture or video without taking my smartphone out of my pocket. It was cool to see the information there in front of my right eye, though a little disorienting. I kept closing my left eye, which was uncomfortable.



Of the parts of the UI that Ante wasn’t able to test out were the Google Maps portion, as well as the UI that would let you make a phone (or video) call or send a text message. Of course Google won’t be releasing a beta version until sometime next year (and then only to developers that ponied up $1,500 at Google I/O), so there is still plenty of time to add features and polish to the experience. Ante points out that one thing that would really help would be the introduction of a “killer app” the really drives home what Google Glass can do.

That may emerge as well in the coming year(s), but Google co-founder Sergey Brin already has one feature he loves – setting the camera to time lapse. He indicated that he does this when he plays with his children, with Glass snapping an image every 10 seconds. That way he’s sure to get several irreplaceable moments of his family life preserved for posterity, but without having to interrupt family time by pulling out a phone or camera and snapping the images himself.

[LibidoLoca]

Microsoft Not Done with Windows Phone 8

Nokia, Samsung, and HTC have a problem: They are scheduled to ship Windows Phone 8 devices in the coming weeks, but Microsoft hasn’t finished the eponymous operating system yet. This is according to The Verge, who confirms from unnamed sources that Microsoft has significantly missed their original time frame, which was supposed to involve WP8 launching in early October, ahead of the Windows 8/RT launch later that month. Now Microsoft has tentatively targeting October 29th as the software launch of WP8, with handsets set to go on sale in November.

The original timeline was apparently scuttled by a series of bugs and feature delays – apparently HTC in particular has had a difficult time eliminating the bugs from WP8 builds, and this was explicitly cited as the reason why HTC had to schedule a much later announcement of its WP8. While Samsung and Nokia have made announcements, it’s worth noting that neither launch event allowed journalists to spend any time with the devices, and subsequent PR events have either involved the handling of dummy phones, or putting live phones behind glass.

Microsoft is said to be working at a feverish pace to take WP8 gold later this week or early next. Even if they hit that date though, it puts carriers and OEMs in a bit of a bind. We analyzed this problem a bit when discussing the putative November 2nd launch date for the Nokia 920 – оnce Nokia (or other OEMs) get the final gold version from Microsoft (presumably mid-September at the earliest) they will have six weeks at best to finishing integrating and trouble-shooting the final software onto their handsets, get them to carriers, and have the carriers successfully test and certify them for launch. Verizon routinely pushed back launches by that much when they don’t like the initial round of testing (See: Verizon Galaxy Nexus), so despite Microsoft’s efforts to reduced testing time this is an exceptionally compressed timeline.




According to The Verge, some carriers may go without the usual bloatware for the initial launch to help shorten the testing period (any additional software has to be tested) and it’s easy to imagine that some OEM customizations may get squeezed out as well in an attempt to meet deadlines. But those deadlines are important – an early November launch coupled with a strong Windows RT marketing push (possibly helping to drive up interest in the new UI) would still allow the bulk of holiday shoppers to take a serious look at WP8 this year. Pushing the launch dates back by 3-4 weeks would end with December launches (possibly mid-December for Samsung or HTC), and would really gut the roll out of WP8.

Even a small delay of a week or two could place the launch of WP8 devices behind the expected onslaught of multiple Android Nexus devices this fall, making it that much harder to make a splash. We’re sure everyone is working as hard as they can, but such rush jobs also invite the risk of significant bugs slipping through – which could also hurt word of mouth. In short, the teams at Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, and HTC need to hurry up but not do a rush job, and the initial success or failure of WP8 may depend on how well they can balance those opposing needs.

Samsung GALAXY SIII Getting Jelly Bean Upgrade in October

On Tuesday, Samsung finally passed along a confirmed date when owners of the Samsung Galaxy S III will receive the Android 4.1 update. The Korean based manufacturer told CNET that the update will come as soon as October. The only problem is that this news is meant for the U.K. version of the flagship phone which means all bets are off if you and your Samsung Galaxy S III reside in another country.



The U.K. version of the Samsung Galaxy S III will be updated to Jelly Bean by next month


If you live in the U.K. and October seems too far away, you can always purchase one of the 4G enabled models for Everything Everywhere. The first 4G pipeline to have an English accent, EE's variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III not only comes with 4G, but also has Jelly Bean installed out of the box. If you live in one of the 16 U.K. cities where EE has service, you don't have to wait for the update.

With the news coming directly from Sammy, you might expect to see SIM-free models get the update first. This makes sense since each carrier has to test the update to make sure it is compatible with its network. Hey, you didn't think that it was just the carriers in the states that did something like that, did you?

So what about the update for other parts of the world? There have been a number of leaks that didn't pan out including one that called for a late August update for the international version of the phone. To avoid disappointment, your best bet is to wait for an official confirmation from Samsung or your carrier.

[Donut]

Apple announced they will be using LTE. Cue HTC & Samsung

[Hotwire]

Originally Posted by Donut

Apple announced they will be using LTE. Cue HTC & Samsung

Sick 'em, boys!

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by Donut

Apple announced they will be using LTE. Cue HTC & Samsung

The good thing is that everyone knew from the get go that iPhone 5 had to include LTE, so I'm sure HTC and Samsung especially, are ready to take them to court.

[LibidoLoca]

Originally Posted by Donut

Apple announced they will be using LTE. Cue HTC & Samsung

And so it begins... good... good...

[LibidoLoca]

The New iPhone News



It seems the rumors weren't far off.

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by LibidoLoca

The New iPhone News



It seems the rumors weren't far off.

While Samsung is at it, they should sue them for going to a 4" screen.

[huskerwebhead]

Originally Posted by LibidoLoca

The New iPhone News



It seems the rumors weren't far off.

Underwhelming.....

[Hotwire]

Originally Posted by the dmg

While Samsung is at it, they should sue them for going to a 4" screen.

I almost spit my drink from laughing at this! Good idea, too.

[LibidoLoca]

Originally Posted by the dmg

While Samsung is at it, they should sue them for going to a 4" screen.

I don't think it would be worth it, though.

[LibidoLoca]

iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII and Nokia Lumia 920 Specs Comparison

Alright, now that we got the final specs of the newest iPhone, let's pit it against the pack leaders of the other mobile operating systems. The Samsung Galaxy S III is the indisputable Android bestseller and will be so for a good while, while a recent survey showed that the vast majority of future Windows Phone owners are likely to pick the Nokia Lumia 920 when it becomes available.

For the first time Windows Phone has something to show against the multicore, high-res screen honchos of Android and iOS, so this holiday season will be unlike any other. The three flagships couldn't be more different, as should be the case, with the only tangent points the ARM-based chips inside with more than a core, the HD screens, and the baseband radios.


Nokia and Samsung bet on huge screens, while the iPhone 5 keeps things compact and manageable, with a penchant for steel and glass in the chassis, while the WP and Android handsets bet on polycarb for the body. The Lumia 920 is the thickest of them all, but it has a whole camera suspension mechanism inside for that sweet optical image stabilization, so the heft and girth are somewhat forgiven. The Galaxy S III is feathery and compact for a 4.8-incher, while the new iPhone is still incredibly thin and light for a chassis made of glass and aluminum.

[the dmg]

Originally Posted by LibidoLoca

I don't think it would be worth it, though.

I know. I just wanted to get a few laughs out of the situation.