Mobile 
Justin Miller
apple 
Martin
Twitter Cards for apps, products and photo galleries unveiled
Twitter just wrapped up a developer shindig at its San Francisco HQ and trotted out three new content preview cards. When a user links to a page with Twitter-specific markup, a tweet will feature an application's name, icon, description, rating and price within the freshly unveiled App Card and link to its Google Play or App Store page, to boot. Product Cards on the other hand, highlight merchandise with an image, price and even ratings. When tweets link to a photo gallery on the web, the...
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On your mark, get set, benchmark! 3DMark Android Edition now on Google Play
Android just gained another go-to for benchmarking. After failing to hit the 2012 mark for its Android-specific performance software, Futuremark's finally delivering on its promise and making 3DMark available today on Google Play. Typically used as a PC benchmarking tool, the free-to-download app now lets users catalog and compare performance across Windows and Android devices -- iOS and WinRT versions are still listed as "coming soon." There are a few caveats to use, though, as the application...
Google changes Android dashboard numbers to count active users, not just pings
The Android device dashboard has been providing a picture of OS version distribution since before Froyo pushed aside Eclair, but now it's seeing some changes. A post on the Android Developers Google+ page indicates that starting this month, numbers are based on devices whose users actively checked Google Play during the reporting period. Previously, it counted all devices that pinged Google servers. The latest stats, updated today, show a jump in the amount of actives (previously devices, now...
Viber for Windows Phone 8 update adds free VoIP calling with HD audio
After several months as a watered down messaging app, Viber for Windows Phone 8 is finally catching up to its Android and iOS counterparts. Starting today, the redesigned VoIP application now supports free calls with HD audio, lock screen notifications and the ability to pin conversations to your Start screen. This Metro modern UI version of Viber also includes photo sharing and group conversations with up to 40 participants. So, if your call plan is running low on minutes and the latest...
HTC First pictured ahead of Thursday's Facebook event (update: now with more colors)
The mysterious Facebook event is quickly approaching, and as luck would have it, @evleaks is hooking us up with an image of the device that we'll be introduced to on Thursday, known as the HTC first. If this is indeed accurate, the press render you see above is what was previously known as the HTC Myst (as well as the Opera and Buffy, if you go back in time far enough). We still don't have any confirmation on specs, but there are whispers that it will feature a program called Facebook Home,...
For Facebook, it’s not about their phone; it’s about you and your phone
On Thursday this week, Facebook is holding a press event focused on its mobile efforts. The “see our new Home on Android” tagline on the press invite is a not-so-subtle reference for what to expect, which should be two specific items: One focused on hardware and one on software. After months of Facebook phone rumors, some will focus on the actual hardware, but that’s not the big picture: Facebook’s software on other phones will have the larger impact. The only way I can see being proved wrong...
MobileLG Lucid2 available at Verizon for free on April 4th, entry-level smartphone lovers rejoice
The original LG Lucid came to Verizon just a little over a year ago as a midrange device, and today we got word that its sequel, the Lucid2 (VS870), is now ready to show up in similar capacity. Said to be Big Red's version of the LG Optimus F5, the device is aimed at the first-time smartphone buyer and is available online for free (with a two-year commitment) beginning April 4th, while retail availability will be in the coming weeks. Among its boasted features are a Starter Mode with a...
Report: iPhone update authorizing T-Mobile’s LTE network arrives Friday
Last week I wrote a post attempting to answer all of the lingering questions about whether current-generation iPhones would work on T-Mobile’s networks. There was only one answer I couldn’t get out of Apple, and that was when it would send out the iOS update officially activating support for T-Mobile’s brand new 4G network. Well, Apple remains mum, but TMoNews seems to have gotten the answer: April 5. An internal T-Mobile screenshot leaked to TMoNews states that the iOS update will not only...
A new iPhone may be on track to arrive this summer
Apple is reportedly planning to start production on the next generation of the iPhone sometime in the second quarter of 2013, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. That means production could start anytime from today through the end of June. Apple has made a new iPhone every year since 2007, so the start of production of a new model isn’t a surprise. However, the timing would suggest a launch of the latest iPhone some time this summer — less than a year after the iPhone 5 arrived....
The road to HD Voice on mobile phones is a bumpy one
Among the many the headlines T-Mobile made last week at its Un-carrier event was that its newly acquired iPhone 5 would support HD Voice, a technology that does exactly what its name implies: make calls sound clearer and crisper. HD Voice, however, is hardly a new technology. Operators have been experimenting with it for some time. Two carriers, T-Mobile and Sprint have upgraded their networks to support HD calls. Speaking at VentureBeat’s Mobile Summit on Monday, AT&T network SVP Kris...
iPhone 5 carrier update may bring T-Mobile LTE to unlocked GSM models
Word on the street is that an update will be hitting the iPhone 5 on April 5th that will turn on access to T-Mobile's LTE network on unlocked GSM models. While you'll have to wait until April 12th to pick up the iOS handset direct from the magenta-hued carrier, those who have been running rogue with unlocked devices from AT&T or purchased direct from Apple should soon be able to run at full, blistering 4G speeds. (Where the fledgling network has been fired up, at least.) The internal notice...
MLB’s big bet on mobile apps pays off on Opening Day
My definition of a great Opening Day: When your team’s pitcher hits a home run and throws a complete game shutout against your archrival. Major League Baseball executives are celebrating a different Opening Day milestone: the skyrocketing popularity of the league’s official mobile app, At Bat. On Tuesday, MLB announced that the At Bat app, which is available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry, was accessed 6 million times on Monday, the first day of baseball’s 2013 season. That’s double the amount...
Samsung’s reported Galaxy Mega to be a 6.3-inch smartphone
How large can Samsung phones get? Bigger than 6-inches diagonally if SamMobile’s sources are correct. The site has a fairly good track record of sharing Samsung’s inner workings before the company itself does and on Tuesday it reported that two large new Galaxy phones are in the works. Both will reportedly be part of the Samsung Galaxy Mega brand: one with a 5.8-inch display and the other with a 6.3-inch screen. Up to now, Samsung’s largest smartphone is the Galaxy Note 2. I purchased one of...
Wow. Former Windows phone exec to head Amazon’s mystery mobile project
Which is odder: That Amazon, the Kindle company, hired a guy named Kindel to head up a new stealth mobile development project? Or that Amazon hired a Windows phone guy to head a mobile project? That’s what’s happened. As Geekwire reported on Monday — and yes it dispensed with the April Fool’s aspect – Charlie Kindel, who helped build Windows 7 Phone and then left Microsoft for a startup in 2011, is now at Amazon “working on something wonderful,” according to his LinkedIn profile His current...
EE harnesses London cabs to tout its 4G prowess
Right now, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom’s EE joint venture is the only 4G-toting carrier in the United Kingdom. That will change soon enough though, as the much-delayed 4G spectrum auction is now done and dusted, so EE is doing all it can to capitalize on its early start. The operator’s latest marketing tactic involves one of London’s greatest icons: the Hackney carriage, or “black cab” as most people call it. EE has put a 4G MiFi router into 50 of the vehicles in London and Birmingham...
AT&T to sell the HTC One on April 19th for $200, pre-orders start April 4th
Earlier we reported that AT&T's version of the HTC One would be going on pre-sale sometime this week, and the GSM carrier has finally revealed its official plans: the flagship HTC device will be ready for pre-order online starting April 4th. Both the 32GB and 64GB models, which will be $200 and $300 respectively, will hit retail store shelves on April 19th. The carrier will also offer a free Media Link HD to sweeten the deal, though it appears that it's only a part of the pre-sale and won't...
Exclusive: Udemy lands on mobile so students can learn on the go
When it comes to picking up new skills, you might have all the motivation in the world, but actually finding the time to do the work is where the real challenge lies. Since launching in 2010, online learning startup Udemy has offered learners the opportunity to take online classes from home. On Tuesday, the company upped the convenience factor with an iOS app that lets students take classes directly from their smartphones. With 600,000 users enrolled in the company’s paid and free classes,...
The mother of all M&A rumors: AT&T, Verizon to jointly buy Vodafone
The rumors surrounding everyone’s favorite mismatched telecom partners Verizon and Vodafone are escalating. No longer is Vodafone considering selling its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon. No longer is Verizon considering buying Vodafone. Instead, according to The Financial Times’ Alphaville blog, Verizon is teaming up with arch-rival AT&T for a possible bid on Vodafone. FT puts the price at U.S. $245 billion, which is larger than the gross national product of all but 39...
HTC One officially priced at AT&T starting at $199.99 with contract
AT&T squelched rumors of a $249 price tag on the HTC One smartphone on Tuesday, announcing the official price of $199.99 with contract. That price is for a model with 32 GB of internal storage, which can’t be expanded with a memory card. For more memory, customers will have to pay $299.99 with contract for the 64 GB model: AT&T says it will be the only U.S. carrier at launch with the higher capacity version. Pre-orders for both models begin on April 4, with general availability of the...
Kobo starts selling e-readers directly through its website again
Kobo has begun selling its devices directly through its website in the U.S. and Canada instead of making customers in those countries go to third-party retailers, the Toronto-based company announced Tuesday. Kobo makes four devices: The 5-inch Kobo Mini e-reader, for $79.99; the touchscreen Kobo Touch e-reader, for $99.99; the front-lit Kobo Glo e-reader, for $129.99; and the Kobo Arc Android tablet, for $199.99. Last year, the company stopped selling them through its website and only made them...
RSS app Reeder goes free on Mac and iPad (for now)
Reeder, a popular RSS reading app for iOS, relies on Google Reader for its backend. But the service will continue after Google Reader shutters on July 1, Reeder creator Silvio Rizzi said Monday. Reeder’s iPhone app is $2.99, and Rizzi is making the Mac and iPad apps free for now, down from $4.99. The iPhone app is remaining paid because it already supports services other than Google Reader, Rizzi wrote: “I’m currently working on integrating Feedbin and adding support for standalone/local RSS...
Sponsored post: A (mobile) developer’s best friend – New Relic for Mobile Apps
Smartphones and mobile devices have become an integral part of our lives. We use them for everything – from updating Facebook to checking our bank accounts. With over a million available apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play alone, the competition for user adoption is fierce. If you’re a mobile app developer, you know you need to get your app in as many hands as possible. One in four mobile apps are abandoned after the first use. And more than 60 percent of apps in the Apple App Store...
Don’t forget your meds: Mango Health gives you perks to stay on track
If you’ve ever forgotten to take your medication, you’re hardly alone: according to estimates, as many as half of American fail to follow a prescribed regimen. And the consequences aren’t just harmful to the individual patients, but the health system overall. The New England Healthcare Institute reports that patients who don’t take their prescription medication cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $290 billion in avoidable medical costs each year. Mango Health, a health startup...
Apple Brazil makes substantial price cuts on iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S
It might not have the trademark, but that hasn't stopped Apple shaving the cost of its entry-level iPhone 4 and 4S' to something closer to its price tag in North America. The 16GB iPhone 4S is now R$1,699 ($840), down from R$1,999, while the 8GB flavor of the iPhone 4 now rings in at R$1,099 ($544), reduced from R$1,499. According to O Globo, if you're willing to pay upfront in full (and by phone) you can even snatch an extra 10 percent off both. Otherwise, Brazilians will need to visit the...
TuneIn Live update comes to Android, offers category curated content discovery
There's nothing worse than seeing a handy new update hit your favorite app on the wrong OS. Luckily, time heals all wounds platform fragmentation. TuneIn's Android app has just been updated with TuneIn Live, a content discovery interface introduced on iOS back in February. What this really amounts to is an extra tab on the app's main screen, but what it offers is pretty neat: a customizable layout of eight tiles, each previewing live music representative of its respective category. Users can...
Samsung Galaxy S 4 isn't even out yet, but it might have been rooted already (update: or not)
We might have spent a few hours toying with Samsung's new mobile hardware, but some tinkerers over at XDA-Developers claim have had enough time to root the Galaxy S 4, already. This means those (very) early adopters might be able to peruse the inner workings as soon as it arrives on store shelves. There's a video of the process after the break and you can pick up all the necessary custom ROM files (and warnings of not to meddle with what you do not understand) at the source. There is one tiny...
Pandora for Android loaded with lock screen controls
A fresh release of Pandora's Android app hit Google Play, and it carries a light, but welcome changelog. New lock screen controls for hardware packing Ice Cream Sandwich or later flavors of Google's confection-themed OS headline the update. In addition, the revamp brings shortened startup times for the application and a track progress indicator that sports elapsed and remaining timestamps. Naturally, assorted bug fixes and enhancements round out the tweaks. Click the bordering source link to...
Samsung SGH-I337 hits FCC with AT&T LTE bands, fits the GS 4 profile
We have to be skeptical when new devices arrive at the FCC without photos or a blinking sign that says "I Am AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S 4." But even doubters can likely tie that model to a certain Samsung SGH-I337 that the FCC just waved through. Why? First off, it's carrying a certain LTE band 17 used exclusively by AT&T in the US (in addition to bands 2, 4 and 5, also frequently featured by the carrier's LTE devices). Secondly, the dimensions line up perfectly with the device we recently...
T-Mobile reverses course, reveals Lumia 810 won't be updated to support LTE
We've some really unfortunate news to share with Lumia 810 owners who'd purchased the handset on T-Mobile's word that a software update would enable LTE support. As it turns out, despite the Lumia 810's hardware readiness and regulatory approval to access Band 4 LTE, that's not going to happen -- T-Mobile isn't going to release the update. Sadly, this isn't an April Fools' prank. If you're scratching your head about the revelation, you're not alone. Representatives for the UnCarrier first...
LG celebrates 500k Optimus G Pro sales in its home country
We haven't even had the chance to see the 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro available outside Korea, but LG is already claiming a sales record. The latest supersized phone notched 10,000 orders at launch, leading to half a million sold just 40 days after its launch and ahead of its coming April update. We found plenty to like about the Optimus G Pro when we reviewed it -- that it closely follows the Galaxy Note II's succesful formula while packing the brand-new Qualcomm 600 quad-core CPU doesn't hurt....
Smartisan OS unveiled in China, takes a fresh approach to Android UI design
Following the likes of Meizu and Xiaomi, another star is born in the Chinese smartphone market. In fact, some may already know the man behind this new Android-based Smartisan OS: Luo Yonghao, a self-taught ex-English teacher (and later becoming the principal of his own English school until last August), as well as the founder of influential blogging platform Bullog.cn (now Bullogger.com) and the chairman of Chinese font studio Redesign. Luo is also a relentless consumer advocate, with his most...
Prank or Prognostication? Some 2013 April Fools’ jokes that could become reality
The tradition of fake news coming out of the tech world every April Fools’ Day can be a bit tiresome. After you’ve been through a few cycles of stories about phony new products and fake M&A activity, the humor wears a bit thin. But sometimes April Fools’ jokes can get interesting — like when a gag starts to look more like a prophesy about our changing industry or a foreshadowing of a future product or service. Here are three April Fools’ jokes from this year that we think may, unwittingly,...
AT&T to begin HTC One pre-sales this week, starting with 32GB for $250 (update)
True to form, carriers won't stop being so coy about the HTC One. We still haven't received any official information regarding the flagship's pricing or specific availability, but thanks to one of our eagle-eyed tipsters, we at least have a solid idea of AT&T's particular plans for the device. The operator is set to begin pre-orders of the One this week, with the 32GB flavor being offered in both silver and black hues for $249.99. The exclusive 64GB model likely won't be ready in time for...
Ericsson T28z review
When Ericsson launched the T28 in 1999, it was the lightest and slimmest phone on the market. It was also the first handset ever to use a lithium polymer battery. The T28 was a premium device -- Ericsson described it as "designer technology", and it was successful with business executives before the Blackberry became popular. Unlike its bar-shaped competitors, the T28 was immediately recognizable by its signature antenna stub and "active flip" keypad cover. Ericsson packed the phone with...
HTML5 lovers rejoice: Famo.us to make its platform free for developers
Remember Famo.us, the San Francisco-based start-up that wowed us with its ultra-brisk HTML5 and javascript demo at the Disrupt conference last year? Yeah, the same one that was co-founded by Steve Newcomb, one of the technology guys behind Powerset (now part of Microsoft’s Bing) and the same person who got me excited about the possibilities of Famo.us technology in a data-rich world. Imagine what Famo.us can do to an Amazon.com experience or even Walmart.com? Hermes could create a new, unique...
Facebook phone dev-edition APK reveals details about HTC Myst, new Facebook Home features
Facebook already told us all that it'd be announcing something new and Android-related at an event on April 4th. Android Police has just given us a new heaping helping of evidence, via an APK teardown, that the social network will, at long last, announce an oft-rumored, never revealed Facebook phone and a FB-themed version of Google's mobile OS. The ROM reveals that it's built for an AT&T-compatible HTC Myst handset with a 4.3 inch display, 1GB of RAM and a dual-core MSM8960 SoC. There's...