Calling it a variant of the HTC One X or One S would be a simple way to describe the Incredible 4G LTE, but not the most accurate. It really does retain a lot of the Droid Incredible character in look and feel, down to the contoured back (not quite as topographical as in previous versions) and the bright red accents that signal out the Incredible’s design legacy.

HTC Incredible 4G

(Credit: Seth Rosenblatt)

The phone also felt good in the hand, thanks to the ridged, rubberized backing, though it isn’t the slimmest thing on any side of the Mississippi. This doesn’t bother me, personally.

On to the screen! It isn’t huge, like the 4.7-inch One X, and it’s even a little smaller than the One S at 4.3 inches. Instead, it hews close to the Droid Incredible 2. The Super LCD qHD display looks good on a 4-inch canvas, though it won’t be the clearest, brightest, or more highly defines screen there ever is or was. Based on the brief time I spent with it, though, it looked nice.

So now that you know how it looks and feels in real life, how about the rest? It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its OS, and has HTC Sense 4.0 on top. It also has a 8-megapixel camera, a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and a 1,7000mAH battery, which isn’t bad, but also can’t compare to Motorola’s Droid Razr Maxx in terms of battery life (that one has a 3300mAh battery) or event the Samsung Galaxy S III with its 2,100mAH battery. So you’re looking at an average battery life of perhaps a day, less if you use data heavily.

Interestingly, the Incredible 4G LTE (which, needless to say, runs on Verizon’s LTE data network,) includes a removable battery and microSD card slot capable of holding up to 32GB of external storage. This runs counter to the One X and One S, which feature unibody designs with no expandable memory.

There’s no pricing or availability yet, but rumors suggest a $300 price tag. Of course, we just won’t know until we compare the Incredible 4G LTE side by side with any other phone, say the One X or One S, but it could be a tight race that I think will come down to the camera performance and the screen quality.

Stay tuned for more photos and video of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. Until then, catch all thelatest news from CTIA 2012.

source from: cnet

T-Mobile’s network will be compatible with the iPhone later this year — even if it isn’t selling it, the company said today.

The wireless carrier added that it had tapped Ericsson and Nokia-Siemens for its $4 billion 4G LTE deployment.

The moves will address the two biggest gaps at T-Mobile: the lack of the iPhone and a more advanced 4G LTE network. Bogged down by its failed merger attempt with AT&T last year, the company has more recently shifted gears in hopes of mounting a comeback in the wireless market.

A key development is the hiring of Ericsson and Nokia Siemens to handle the 4G LTE build-out. The companies have experience with the technology, working with Verizon Wireless, among others. T-Mobile said today that it secured its spectrum from AT&T last week as part of the merger breakup fee.

Between the AT&T spectrum and the use of its own spectrum, T-Mobile hopes to cover 75 percent of its top 25 markets with LTE.

The company, however, lacks sufficient spectrum for a broader deployment of LTE. To fill the gap, the carrier has focused on its HSPA+ technology, which it argues is fast enough to be called 4G. The company plans to use 1900-megahertz spectrum for its upgraded HSPA+ network, and plans to have several of its markets covered by the end of the year.

The 1900MHz spectrum is important because it lets the carrier support an unlocked iPhone on its 4G network. While T-Mobile doesn’t sell the iPhone, many customers already take their iPhones to the carrier, although those phones can’t tap into its fastest network because of spectrum conflicts.

While not exactly carrying the iPhone, T-Mobile believes that capability will help it partially fill the gap. The carrier could also strike a deal with Apple, although neither company has given any recent updates.

The HSPA+ network covers more than 220 million people in 229 markets, allowing T-Mobile to boast of the largest 4G network in the country.

The company is attempting to prove it can turn itself around and show growth beyond theprepaid realm, despite the mounting competition. It plans to release its first-quarter results on Thursday.

source from: cnet

Carphone Warehouse giving away a 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab and accessories to the first 1,000 customers that pre-order the new smartphone

The Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4U and all the major mobile operators have confirmed they will sell the Samsung Galaxy S III when it goes on sale in the UK. The smartphone will be available from May 30.

The first 1,000 customers to pre-order the device at Carphone Warehouse online or via the retailer’s call centre will receive a free 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. In addition they will receive an InvisibleSHIELD protector and in-car micro USB charger, resulting in a combined value of £428.98.

All other customers who pre-order the smartphone will receive a Sandisk 32GB microSD memory card worth £29.99, as well as the InvisibleSHIELD protector and in-car micro USB charger.

Carphone Warehouse CEO Andrew Harrison said: “Anticipation surrounding the Samsung Galaxy SIII launch has been huge. It’s one of the biggest launches of the year and marks an exciting and innovative new stage in the smartphone market.

“The unveiling at Earl’s Court certainly didn’t disappoint – this phone is an impressive piece of kit, perfect for people looking for a large high resolution screen and a fluid user experience. We’re sure that Carphone Warehouse customers will be very keen to try it out.”

Phones 4U is offering customers that pre-order the Galaxy S III an exclusive “premium accessory bundle” worth over £50.

The retailer said that when offered customers to pre-register for updates on the impending smartphone, it saw treble the amount of interest than it had received in the first 24 hours alone.

Phones 4U chief commercial officer Scott Hooton said: “Phones 4u has a strong history of successfully launching Samsung Galaxy devices, resulting in our recent collaboration with Samsung that saw the launch of a dedicated experience zone at our London Oxford Street store.

Accounting for 44 per cent of Galaxy SII contract sales on the high street in 2011 (according to GfK contract market share data for high street retail), and being the first retailer to ‘globally’ launch the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we’re thrilled to be offering our customers the new Samsung Galaxy S III in addition to the widest range of live Samsung handsets available for demonstration anywhere in the UK.”

The Samsung Galaxy S III was unveiled at a launch event at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London last night. It is the follow-up to the Galaxy S II, which has seen sales top 20 million units worldwide since its release in April 2011.

source from: mobilenewscwp

Costa customers get 30 minutes free WiFi as O2 Wi-Fi extends retail reach

O2 is partnering with Costa Coffee to offer the coffee chain’s customers free Wi-Fi.

The rollout has started in London to co-incide with the Olympics and will be extended to a total of 835 stores across the UK.

Costa customers will be given access to 30 minutes free Wi-Fi, with Costa Coffee Club members able to access unlimited Wi-Fi for free.

O2 said the deal shows its commitment to working closely with the retail industry. The operator is in the process of deploying 3,000 hotspots in the UK, and is working with retailers on services such as Priority Moments and the recently launched O2 Wallet.

O2 Wi-Fi managing director Gavin Franks said: “Coffee shops are seen as the traditional heartland for public access wifi and Costa is the largest coffee chain in the UK.

“We have shown how our innovative models works in new contexts such as London Metro wifi and this deal shows that it also works in more traditional contexts.”

Costa UK marketing director Kevin Hydes said: “As people spend around half an hour in our stores, we are delighted to be partnering with O2 and providing our customers with 30minutes of free WiFi.

“This is the latest in a series of new partnerships with industry and sector leading brands for O2 Wifi. In 2012, O2 Wifi has already announced an additional 3,000 UK hotspots which are currently being deployed across the UK.”

source from: mobilenewscwp

Operator has until 12 noon on Monday (April 23) to decide whether to bid after rival drops out

Vodafone has been given four more days to make a decision on whether it wants to make a bid for Cable and Wireless Worldwide (CWW) after rival bidder Tata Communications withdrew its interest in the troubled broadband wholesaler.

Vodafone was granted an extension until 12 noon next Monday (April 23), just minutes before Thursday’s (April 19) 5PM deadline for the firm to announce whether or not it would make a serious bid.

Tata dropped out of the contest to buy CWW after price negotiations with the firm broke down on Wednesday.

CWW said: ”CWW confirms that advanced discussions with Vodafone are on-going with a view to establishing whether or not they might result in a formal offer for the Company which the Board of Cable & Wireless Worldwide would be willing to recommend.”

Vodafone is thought to be interested in CWW because the firm controls significant broadband infrastructure that Vodafone could use to provide backhaul for its mobile network.

CWW also has significant global operations which could help boost Vodafone’s enterprise business overseas.

source from: mobilenewscwp

I find it remarkable that despite using a service for months and enjoying what it has to offer, one would cease using one of the most popular smartphone applications on the mobile market this year, simply because it expanded its service to a rival platform.

That is, unless you’re an Apple senior vice-president and your job is to market the iOS platform in the best possible light to the hundreds of millions of potential new customers.

Smile! You’re on Android. Or not.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president for marketing did exactly that, apparently confirmed by a direct message to a Twitter user, seen by9to5Mac, asking him why he had stopped using Instagram.

“It ‘jumped the shark’ when it went to Android,” he said.

Instagram for Android was released on April 3, only a week before Facebook bought the photo-sharing company for $1 billion. It was until then an iOS only application. A three-times spike in Instagram’s user base in the short space of a week pushed Zuckerberg into buying the company, it is believed.

Facebook and Apple have a good, but arm’s-length, relationship. Many questioned why Apple opted to join forces with Twitter by offering the microblogging service with 140 million users to its iOS platform, instead of Facebook with more than 850 million users.

It could be that Apple and Facebook drifted apart since the social network’s early years, whenthe technology giant advised Facebook on its company focus, management and direction, seemingly eyeing future potential in the then-startup. Facebook may not have been willing to play ball with Apple with an “incompatible” set of privacy controls and different ideals.

Or, it could be because Steve Jobs thought Mark Zuckerberg was a “f**king a**hole,” according to veteran blogger Robert Scoble.

I’m not picky on which, nor does it particularly matter.

The question still looms as to why Schiller deleted his account. Logically, it makes no sense. Emotionally, at a push, one might be able to empathize. If one loves a platform so much to the point where a trusted product reaches out to ‘the enemy’ in a bid to grow and expand, I can see the human side to Schiller’s dilemma.

But Apple’s closed nature put Schiller in a difficult position. Should he abandon a service he clearly enjoyed because the company expanded its business to accommodate the largest section of the U.S. mobile platform market share? Or maybe his public relations team told him to?

Regardless, it points to either a paranoid Apple executive concerned about the public perception of using a service on a rival platform, or Apple PR’s paranoid state of mind in telling Schiller to dump the app for much of the same reason.

Knowing how secretive Apple is over its company, its products and its processes — to levels that if such symptoms were found in a person, they would be a psychologist’s dream come true — it would come as no surprise if Apple told Schiller to stop using the software in the wake of its expansion to the Android platform.

Apple’s ”thermonuclear war” against Android continues. For a senior figure at Apple, a commander in the war on Android, to use a service owned and operated by the opposition forces is like driving a Russian tank down Wall Street while burning an American flag and whistling “Hail to the Chief” in a somber D-major.

It makes sense for a company to provide only software, products and services it creates to its staff. It creates an ecosystem around which its employees can self-evangelize and get to know the products they are working on better. Apple gives out MacBooks and iPhones to its staff, just as Microsoft gives PCs and Windows Phones to its employees. It recently outlawed its staff from buying Macs and iOS devices through company accounts, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, but at least the Redmond giant experimented and didn’t give its operating system rival the cold shoulder.

A hint of paranoia mixed in with a strong scent of impending hypocrisy. While Apple continues its battle against Android in the courts, if its senior vice president carries on using an app on hisiPhone, but has a second-degree connection to Android, Apple could be seen as two-timing on its own brand of platform.

And that’s where Apple will fall down. Its closed-minded nature means the company does not look outside its four-walled eutopic garden, seemingly denying the existence of Android, while making some considerations toward its lesser rivals such as Windows — which Apple still develops for — but only because Microsoft’s own market share dominance forced it to.

An Apple spokesperson was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. For all we know, they’re probably locked in a panic room a hundred feet beneath Cupertino’s streets.

source from: cnet

CEO Stephen Elop admits Lumia handset sales in the UK have been challenging as handset manufacturer posts a loss of £1.1 billion 

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has admitted that establishing momentum in the UK through sales of its Lumia handsets has been difficult.

His comments came as the company posted a loss of £1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2012. The loss was compared to the £359 million profit made in the same quarter last year and the £780.3 million loss made in Q4 2011.

Sales were down 29 per cent year-on-year to £6 billion and also fell 26 per cent from the £8.2 billion figure reported for the previous quarter.

Within its handset division, Nokia posted a loss of £179.1 million compared to the £166 million profit in the previous quarter and the £596.1 million profit in the same three month period last year.

Sales for the first quarter were £3.47 billion – down 40 per cent year-on-year and a decrease of 29 per cent from the previous quarter.

Smartphone sales fell 52 per cent year-on-year to £1.39 billion and were down 38 per cent from Q4 2011.

Feature phone sales also fell to £1.88 billion – down 32 per cent and 24 per cent year-on-year and from Q1 2011 respectively.

Handset volumes decreased 24 per cent from Q1 2011 and 27 per cent from the previous quarter to 82.7 million units. From this, smartphone volumes fell 51 per cent compared to the same period last year, and 39 per cent from the previous quarter.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said: “We are navigating through a significant company transition in an industry environment that continues to evolve and shift quickly. Over the last year we have made progress on our new strategy, but we have faced greater than expected competitive challenges.

“We have launched four Lumia devices ahead of schedule to encouraging awards and popular acclaim. The actual sales results have been mixed. We exceeded expectations in markets including the United States, but establishing momentum in certain markets including the UK has been more challenging.

“At the same time, the lower price tiers of our industry are undergoing a structural change, and traditional feature phones are challenged by full touch devices.

“As a result we are taking deliberate measures to continue to renew our Series 40 platform, and we plan to strengthen our line-up in Q2 2012. We are making investments in our Mobile Phones business unit aimed at addressing the gaps in our offering.

“We have a clear sense of urgency to move our strategy forward even faster. We are pursuing step function changes by having launched the Lumia 610 and Lumia 900 in the first quarter, expanding market coverage, increasing advertising, introducing key customer-requested features and broadening our most successful go-to-market activities.

“At the same time, we have focused our efforts in the low-end of smartphones and feature phone asset to drive improved business results and conserve cash.

“We are confident in our strategy and focused on responding urgently in the short term and creating value for our shareholders in the long term.”

Meanwhile Nokia executive vice president of sales Colin Giles will leave the company on June 30 to be closer to his family.

Nokia said it will now restructure the sales business by reducing a layer of sales management to “ensure greater customer focus and providing senior leaders greater visibility into market dynamics”.

Nokia’s four regional senior vice presidents – Chris Weber for the Americas; Shiv Shivakumar for India, Middle East and Africa; Olivier Puech for Asia Pacific and Victor Saeijs for Europe and Eurasia will now report to executive vice president of markets Niklas Savander.

Giles joined Nokia in 1992 and has served in a number of marketing and sales roles across the company. Most recently he led the global sales organisation. He will now help to establish the new structure.

source from: mobilenewscwp

For now, mobile devices still can’t match game consoles in graphics quality. Nvidia thinks that could change, and soon.

The company last night sent over a slide to enthusiast site Anandtech charting the graphics performance progress across the console, PC, and mobile markets. And although PCs will continue to stand above the fray, Nvidia believes that by 2014, mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) GPUs will offer better graphics performance than does the Xbox 360. In 2013, the mobile chips could match Microsoft’s console.

Nvidia’s findings — which, while listed on the slide as “console,” only examined the Xbox 1 and Xbox 360 — prove telling to the state of gaming today. There once was a time when mobile platforms never had a chance of matching game consoles. But now, mobile gadgets are hot on consoles’ heels. And based on the performance upgrade brought to the new iPad, courtesy of the A5X processor, today’s top mobile chips seem to be on a level playing field (if not a bit better) than graphics found in traditional gaming portables, like the Nintendo 3DS and Sony’sPlayStation Vita.

Game developers have taken notice of those achievements. The companies previously offered only casual titles on mobile platforms, but now deliver sophisticated games typically only found on consoles or traditional portables. Quite quickly, Apple’s mobile products, as well as a host of devices running on Android, have become another key revenue stream for developers and publishers.

Looking ahead, even if mobile chips can match the Xbox 360 in graphical prowess, there’s no telling how they might hold up against next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Those companies are expected to launch new consoles either next year or in 2014, and when they do, some reports suggest that the devices could come with a sizable jump in graphical performance. Still, while it might be an uphill battle for mobile processors to keep up, the gap appears to be closing quite rapidly.

source from: cnet

Motorola’s Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx for Verizon will get the Android 4.0 update on April 4, followed by the HTC Rezound on April 6.

Ice Cream Sandwich cravers, rejoice.

According to Android Police, a leaked image from Best Buy shows that the Motorola Droid Razrand Droid Razr Maxx from Verizon will get an OS update to Ice Cream Sandwich on April 4.

Two days later on April 6, the HTC Rezound will get the same scoop of Android ICS.

A few days prior, another carrier, AT&T, announced a number of its devices will be getting an upgrade as well. Some of these handsets include the LG Nitro, the Samsung Galaxy Note, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

source from: cnet

At long last, the highly anticipated Windows Phone from AT&T is coming and is available for preorder.

With its eminently approaching April 8 release date, the Nokia Lumia 900 from AT&T is available for preorder today.

The carrier is investing a lot in this handset, which costs $100. In an interview with CNET, Jeff Bradley, AT&T’s device head, called the Lumia 900 the company’s “hero phone.”

In addition to that, he noted that its launch would be a “notch above anything we’ve ever done,” including the iPhone’s launch.

But the one in need of a hero, perhaps, is none other than Nokia itself.

CNET’s Roger Cheng recently wrote that the manufacture’s future, “and possibly that of Windows Phone and Microsoft’s ability to remain relevant in the mobile world, rests largely on how successful the Lumia 900 performs.”

With all the intangible hype that is surrounding this phone, it’ll be interesting to see how many preorder sales the Lumia 900 will snag. By April 8, it’ll be easier to tell whether this phone is going to be a hit or miss for both Nokia and Microsoft.

source from: cnet