“Long rumored, and frequently leaked, today the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch is finally official, and we’ve had the chance to spend some time with Samsung’s new wearable device.”
T-Mobile vs. AT&T vs. Verizon: Which carrier gives you the best upgrade plan?
Are you wondering which carrier gives you the best upgrade plan? T-Mobile vs. AT&T vs. Verizon: I thnk you know the answer!
Before we jump into the differences between these plans, let’s have a look at how T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier” system works, because it’s had some far-reaching effects on the rest of the U.S. cell phone business.
Typically you’ve signed up for a two-year contract with your service provider. You make a down payment on a great smartphone then pay each month. That rate includes both your service plan and a payment for your phone. Cell carriers have been subsidizing the cost of expensive cell phones by building in the cost to their service plans for years. Then, if you decide to leave the plan early, you get hit with an early termination fee.
T-Mobile’s Uncarrier plan shifted those costs – you pay separately for your phone in installments and are charged a monthly fee for the service; if you cancel your plan, you don’t get penalized, but you do have to pay off the balance of your phone. Then they decided to offer an upgrade program that doesn’t stick you with that balance, either.
AT&T and Verizon had little choice but to offer similar programs.
But as usual, the devil is in the details.
Android passes 1 billion activations
“Ever since Google announced that the total number of Android device activations had passed 900 million back at Google I/O we’ve been waiting for that magical 1 billion stat to become official.”
Android 4.4 Named “KitKat”
“Google today announced that the next major version of Android – version 4.4 – will be named KitKat, after the Kit Kat candy bar made by Nestlé. Each major version of Android is named for a sweet treat starting with a successive letter of the alphabet. Only major versions get a new name.”
Microsoft Enters Into $7.2B Deal To Buy Nokia’s Devices And Services Business And License Its Patents
“In a surprise move, Microsoft announced Monday evening that it has inked a deal with Nokia to acquire “substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services.” The total price of the deal is EUR 5.”
Microsoft buys Nokia’s devices unit in a $7.2 billion bid for its mobile future
“One of the most enticing “what-ifs” of recent years has come true: Microsoft has purchased Nokia’s Devices and Services unit, bringing the Lumia lineup under the Redmond roof.”
Bugs Land, scary!
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Good times. #DCA @dcatoday
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Green Chile Angus burger! #Disneyland @Disneylandtoday
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