Verizon chief McAdam thinks ending phone subsidies is a 'great thing'

Android CentralAbout a month ago  Deutsche Telekom AG announced that T-Mobile USA would completely stop subsidising phones in 2013, and instead continue to offer what equates to interest free financing. The bright side for us as consumers is that the monthly bill gets cheaper because there is no equipment to pay for, and it makes it easy to bring your own device. Today the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam is pretty interested in how all this will play out, and thinks it is "a great thing".

While he may like the idea of ending subsidies (what CEO wouldn't like to cut out a costly policy) he is not very sure that the customers will bite. AT&T Mobility Chief Ralph de la Vega also said that they are watching the T-Mobile strategy, and AT&T could make a similar move if it becomes popular.

As it stands now, neither of the big two US carriers think customers like the idea of paying for their own phone and saving money monthly. With good reason -- people hate change, and people hate spending hundreds of dollars in up front costs. But if Verizon (or AT&T) would cut back on the monthly fees like T-Mobile has done, we think this would be a great thing as well. 

What say you? Holler in the comments.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/QLuU-U105RQ/story01.htm

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GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X

GNOME 3 desktop manager
GNOME 3, after more than two years of development, has been released into the wild. GNOME 3 is not merely the logical successor of GNOME 2: it is an entirely new project, started from scratch, to create a "completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies."

The best way to check out GNOME 3's new features -- and it has lots of new features -- is to run a live version of openSUSE or Fedora, or simply head over to the GNOME 3 website and watch the (rather pretty) introductory videos. If you want a synopsis, though, here it is: GNOME 3 looks a lot like Mac OS X, with a healthy dollop of iOSesqueness for good measure, but yet it still somehow retains an underlying feel of Linux.

The overall aesthetic is very simple, very elegant, and despite being slightly out of fashion, there are plenty of rounded corners, too. The main addition, workflow-wise, is the addition of an app-launcher-cum-alt-tab screen, where you can launch apps, or flip through your open windows. For a complete list of the new features and changes, check the GNOME 3 release notes.

Despite GNOME 3 being officially launched, there aren't actually any releases for existing, stable Linux distros -- it's the live CD/USB images, or Ubuntu users will have to wait for the launch of 11.04 for a GNOME 3 PPA, but it will break Unity in the process. Fedora users will have to wait for for the May 24 release of Fedora 15. Of course, if you're feeling crazy, you can always build GNOME 3 from source.

GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/gnome-3-released-ushers-in-an-interesting-amalgam-of-ios-and-os/

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Evernote Web gets a new interface, Facebook sharing, and more

evernote web
Evernote, the popular multi-platform 'digital memory' app, has done some serious re-tooling of its Web interface. In addition to a more polished UI that more closely mirrors the look of Evernote on the desktop, the update brings features like notebook stacks and snippet view to the Web.

Auto-saving is now enabled as well, and you can select multiple items by holding down the Cmd or Ctrl key on your Mac or Windows keyboard. If you've got items stored in your notebooks that you want to share with friends or co-workers, Evernote has improved that process, too. You can quickly post an item to Facebook, share it via email, or generate a Web sharing link to paste into an IM conversation or status update.

Head over to the Evernote Web login page to try out the new interface.

Evernote Web gets a new interface, Facebook sharing, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/evernote-web-gets-a-new-interface-facebook-sharing-and-more/

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T-Mobile gives MLB a magenta makeover with multi-year partnership

TMobile gives Major League Baseball a magenta makeover with multiyear partnership

As if managers of MLB teams didn't have enough to look forward to with the upcoming baseball season, many of 'em will be staring at one of these contraptions in the dugout. Today, T-Mobile announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball in which the magenta carrier will provide an on-field communication system that links team managers in the dugout to coaches in the bullpen. Naturally, the setup will operate over T-Mobile's wireless network. With the deal in place, T-Mobile subscribers will gain access to exclusive MLB content. For what it's worth, we can also look forward to the carrier's role as presenting sponsor of ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball. Hey, it's one way to get the word out about those unlimited plans.

[Image credit: Darren Rovell / Twitter]

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Source: MLB, ESPN

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/t-mobile-partners-with-major-league-baseball/

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Sony Xperia ZL hands-on

Android Central

It's no flagship, but there's plenty to like about the Xperia Z's little brother

Android Central @ CESIn addition to devices we’ll be seeing in the West in coming months, CES gives us the opportunity to get some face time with devices that probably won’t see the light of day in the U.S. or Europe. One of these is the Xperia ZL, which Sony says will be making an appearance in selected markets during the first quarter of 2013.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Pb2ExOEPEfA/story01.htm

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NVIDIA announces Project Shield, how does it compare to iOS and AirPlay?

Last night, during their CES 2013 press conference, graphics powerhouse NVIDIA announced their Project Shield gaming platform. It's running a close-to-stock version of Android, and will run Android apps. It's play Steam games (!!!). And you can play PC games using project shield as the controller.

Phil Nickinson from Android Central has already gone hands-on with Project Shield. The video is up top, and here's what he had to say:

It's hard not to get excited about NVIDIA's "Project Shield," the Android-based hand-held gaming system it unveiled this week at CES in Los Vegas. For one, it's really the biggest piece of news thus far. And for another -- it's just friggin' cool. NVIDIA has taken the traditional gaming-style controller, packed its brand-new Tegra 4 system inside of it, added a 5-inch, clamshell 720p display (NVIDIA's calling it "retinal") and added some truly astonishing gameplay.

Apple has the beaming stuff covered already with AirPlay, which lets anything on your iPhone and iPad stream video and apps to an Apple TV connected to a big-screen HDTV. Not everyone is thrilled with a flat piece of multitouch glass, even one with a gyro and accelerometer in it, as a controller.

We probably haven't heard the last of Apple's AirPlay and gaming plans, now that iOS 6 and Mountain Lion have begun converging their feature sets, but have we head enough yet to know where that future lies? What do you think of Project Shield as an alternative? Is it just a gimmick, a controller with a screen bolted on, that probably won't find appeal beyond a niche. Or will physical controls and the popularity of Steam and PC gaming be enough to make Project Shield a success?

Source: Android Central

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/WAUgcktT30Q/story01.htm

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Hands-on with the Huawei Ascend Mate

We've just wrapped up at the Huawei press conference here at CES 2013 in Las Vegas where the Chinese OEM announced the Ascend Mate. This device has been rumored some time as the super large competitor to the likes of the Galaxy Note II and Optimus Vu, and Huawei didn't disappoint when it announced this 6.1-inch behemoth. As you would expect, the Ascend Mate is borderline when it comes to what we call a "phone," but they're positioning it as such nonetheless.

The hardware on this device is quite a departure from previous Huawei phones, stepping up to a stainless steel frame and solid plastic accents. Even the power and volume keys are stainless, and set well into the frame. The 6.1-inch screen is surprisingly manageable considering its size, thanks to very small bezels and on-screen navigation buttons, but this is far from one-handed use friendly. The panel itself is only 720x1280, although at first we thought it must be a typo because there really aren't any noticeable pixels. It's just a bit puzzling considering it's sibling the Ascend D2 has a 1080x1920 display at just 5-inches. Nevertheless, under the hood we see the same specs as the D2, with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

On the software front, Huawei has also made some big changes coming from its previous builds. This is its "Emotion UI" set of customizations, which combines many of the stock Jelly Bean features, with its own added tweaks and style. In the keynote, CEO Richard Yu noted that their software has "fixed 200 problems with Android." This is indeed Jelly Bean 4.1.2 under the hood, but it doesn't necessarily feel like it in normal navigation. Most items have received visual tweaks -- from the app icons to the settings menu -- and Huawei has even opted to remove an app drawer from its default launcher. It's something quickly fixed from a download in the Play Store, but it hurts this device's out-of-the-box appeal for some.

The Ascend Mate is expected to launch in China starting in February, with international availability thereafter. There was no pricing given, but Mr. Yu explained that the devices would be for sale to other markets online.

Be sure to stick around after the break to take a look at several pictures and a hands-on video we've got for you straight from CES.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/xVLxf0K8a8M/story01.htm

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Facebook invites the media to 'come and see what we're building' next week

Facebook invites the media to 'come and see what we're building' next week

And the CES disruptions begin. Facebook has just broken into an absolute blitz of news out of Las Vegas in order to invite select members of the press to its California headquarters next week. The reason? Predictably, minimal clues are given out in the invite itself -- we're simply told to show up on January 15th and "see what [Facebook] is building." You know what... we think we just might, thanks!

P.S. - Any educated guesses on the "what" can be tossed in comments below.

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Source: Facebook

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/grp62yXL95M/

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Hulu's Adding More Original and Exclusive Content Beginning in January

Hulu's continuing its trend of producing its own original content with three new shows: an animated superhero comedy with Seth Meyers, "The Awesomes"; U.K. comedy thriller "The Wrong Mans"; and docu-series "Behind the Mask." More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Dtk6gDhWM0k/hulus-adding-more-original-and-exclusive-content-beginning-in-january

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

windows 8 explorer ribbon
Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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