“The biggest winner of Mobile World Congress 2016 wasn’t a phone or a phone manufacturer, but a phone chip manufacturer: Qualcomm.”
Sprint could be set to undercut T-Mo’s unlimited plans
“Ever since Sprint backed out of its proposed merger with T-Mobile, it’s been all-change at the Kansas City-based telecoms company. Its CEO, Dan Hesse was , who’s set to bring a new competitive edge to Old Yeller.”
3 Reasons Why Ubuntu Smartphone Will Succeed
“This year we should see the first Ubuntu smartphone launched with demo devices most likely being on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. As far as we know, China’s Meizu may be just one of the launch partners with more OEMs likely to join the party in no time at all.”
T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 4.0 announcement to take place on Jan. 8 at CES : TmoNewsTmoNews
“T-mobile is set to unveil it’s plans for the beginning of 2014, and promises to start the year with a bang. Invites have been sent out to members of the press confirming that the Uncarrier 4.0 announcement will take place on January 8th, at CES in Las Vegas.”
Verizon and T-Mobile officially ask FCC’s permission to swap spectrum : TmoNewsTmoNews
“In the past couple of hours, it’s been revealed that Verizon and T-Mobile US have filed paperwork with the FCC to ask its permission to swap high-frequency spectrum.”
The Potential And Pitfalls Of Twitter’s Mobile Business
“Twitter has millions of monthly users, growing revenue, brand awareness, a propensity for breaking news, and data ripe for mining.”
Verizon modifying prepaid plans Feb 1 with new $60 500MB tier
Verizon doesn’t put much focus on its prepaid plans, but according to a leaked document obtained by PhoneArena it will be dropping prices on prepaid offerings starting February 1st. Verizon’s current offering is at $80 for smartphones, with unlimited talk/text and 2GB of data during its double data promotion. When the new plans take effect next week, the $80 plan is going away, making room for two new tiers at $60 and $70. The lower tier will offer 500MB of data, the higher 2GB, both with unlimited talk and text.
The document specifically says $80 plan users will be grandfathered in, but considering the new price structure there’s no reason to stay on it. Users wanting more than 2GB of data will be paying $20 per 1GB overage, which is $5 more than adding an extra 1GB to a postpaid plan. Also remember that Verizon’s prepaid plans are 3G only for the time being. This is still a good option for a select set of people though, so we’re glad to see Verizon drop its prices a bit. Stick around after the break to see the document and details of the new plans.
Source: PhoneArena
via Verizon modifying prepaid plans Feb 1 with new $60 500MB tier | Android Central.
Chrome beta for Android exposes WebGL, brings more 3D to the mobile web
Did you hop on the new Chrome beta track for Android? There’s a treat waiting under the hood. Google’s Brandon Jones has confirmed that the latest build enables the flags page, letting us toggle hidden elements — including the rather big deal of WebGL support. Anyone with reasonably quick graphics can now experiment with full 3D on their phone without having to hack or use a plugin, whether it’s wild music videos or lovefests. Just remember that the experience won’t be as seamless as it is on the desktop. You’ll likely have to force the desktop version of a page just to see the graphics code, and few if any WebGL developers are optimizing for the performance and screen size of a phone. If you’d still like to get a peek at what could be the future of the mobile web, hit the source to join the beta flock.
via Engadget
Samsung now ships more smartphones than Apple and Nokia combined
It seems that Santa delivered a lot Samsung (005930) phones over the holiday quarter. According to the latest numbers from Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped a whopping 63 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2012, a 73% increase from the 36.5 million smartphones it shipped in the fourth quarter of 2011. Samsung’s smartphone shipment market share also rose to 29% on the quarter, larger than the combined market shares of Apple’s (AAPL) 22% and Nokia’s (NOK) 3%. Just one year earlier, Samsung’s market share stood at 23.2%, which at the time trailed Apple’s 23.6% share. Samsung reported yet another record-breaking quarter with a $6.6 billion profit on Friday, so it’s not surprising to see its share of the overall smartphone
If you need these, you have a problem! Wearcom Jeans With Touch-Transparent iPhone Pocket
Alphyn Industries’ DELTA415 Wearcom jeans may as well have been called the Dork-O-Tron 3000, for they are nerdy in the extreme. They are also flat-out awesome, and if I was the kind of person who spent $160 on a pair of jeans, then I’d be al over them. Or all in them, I guess.
The Wearcoms are simple: the front right pocket has been replaced by a see-through phone pouch, complete with a protective flap to cover it.
Apparently inspired by the G-suits worn by fighter pilots, the jeans have a clear pocket through which the wearer can use a multi-touch screen, and a button hole through which you can thread a headphone cable.
It is of course ridiculous, although I can see at least one scenario where it would be useful: on a bike. You could ride and still have your iPhone ready to glance at maps or change the music you’re beaming to your Bluetooth speaker, all without having to put it on a handlebar bracket.
Orienting your phone screen-out does have some problems, though. Even with the flap closed, a good whack is going to break the screen and not just crack or dent the back.
The jeans are made of indigo-dyed denim, and come in fatty-unfriendly sizes of 28 to 38 inches. Available now.
via Wearcom Jeans With Touch-Transparent iPhone Pocket.
