Amazon Wireless is severely discounting 4G Android smartphones for its Memorial Day sale. How does a Droid Charge for $179.99 or a Motorola Atrix 4G for $99 sound?
Amazon is offering big Memorial Day discounts on 4G smartphones such as the pricey Samsung Droid Charge, Motorola Atrix 4G and other handsets.
When shoppers go to Amazon Wireless, the e-commerce giant's mobile gadget subsidiary, they will find roughly 18 4G Android handsets and the HP Veer 4G WebOS phone on sale through 11:59 PDT May 30.
Verizon Wireless normally sells the Droid Charge subsidized for $299.99 with a contract. Amazon Wireless is now offering this fun phone for $179.99. The kicker is that buyers must take a two-year contract with Verizon for the extra subsidy.
The Atrix 4G, which AT&T has been selling for $199.99 since February, now costs $99 through Amazon Wireless. Consumers may also buy AT&T's Samsung Infuse 4G Android phone, which normally retails for $199.99, for $129.99. Ditto for Verizon's HTC ThunderBolt.
Sprint and T-Mobile aren't being shut out of the Android sell-off either. T-Mobile's G2x 4G, which retails for $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate, can now be bought for $99.99.
Sprint's Samsung Nexus S 4G, normally a $199.99 gadget with contract, now runs an incredibly low $49.99. Considering that this is the only smartphone that will work with Google's Wallet service when it launches in New York and San Francisco this summer, that could prove quite a bargain for those who want to test the NFC-based mobile payment waters.
Amazon Wireless is also offering an Amazon Student exclusive in the form of a $10 Appstore credit with the purchase of the Sony Xperia Play, now through June 4.
Finally, anyone who buys a Windows Phone 7 handset from May 30 on will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This discount comes as Microsoft is struggling to sell smartphones based on its new mobile operating system.
Gartner said that of the 3.6 million phones running a Microsoft mobile OS sold worldwide in Q1, only 1.6 million were based on Windows Phone 7.
Gartner added that these devices failed to catch on as consumers bought Android phones or Apple's iPhone for the holiday season. Android grabbed 36 percent market share for the quarter, while Apple's iOS came in third with 16.8 percent of the market.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Microsoft unveiling new Windows Phone features as it plays catch-up with Apple, Google
Despite the new jewelry, Microsoft's mobile software remains far behind Apple and Google. How Microsoft performs with Windows Phone 7 continues to dog its stock, which shareholders complain has been just about flat for the past decade.
"The two obvious overhangs on the stock that investors are focusing on are its lack of offering in the tablet market, which is the hottest trend in the consumer market, and smartphones," said Yun Kim, analyst at Gleacher & Co. in New York. "They are late to the game and trying to gain traction against iPhone."
Setting aside the tablet issue — which Microsoft is expected to address at a September developer conference — the company's partnership deal with the world's largest phone maker, Nokia, offers the most hope to its smartphone efforts.
Windows Phone 7, a mobile operating system Microsoft sells to phone makers, has been available on phones for seven months.
Until Thursday, Microsoft couldn't even say a Windows Phone is available on all the major U.S. wireless carriers.
AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile USA were the first to start carrying the phone in the U.S., and Sprint started selling one in February. Verizon Wireless said it will start selling the phone online Thursday and in stores June 2.
The premiere of the "Angry Birds" mobile game for Windows Phone 7, previously scheduled for Wednesday, has been delayed until June 29. The arrival of the game has seemingly come to mark when a smartphone is ready to be introduced to society.
The last time Microsoft gave any sales figures for Windows Phone 7 was in January. After the holiday shopping season, Microsoft said 2 million copies of Windows Phone software had been bought by phone makers. The phone makers then sell the phones to the carriers, which sell them to individual customers.
Instead of discussing Windows Phone sales, Microsoft has been publicly proclaiming the numbers racked up by another device it makes: the Xbox Kinect, which has sold more than 10 million units. At the very least, Windows Phones clearly are not the "fastest selling consumer-electronic device" ever made, which Microsoft has been saying about the Kinect.
Gartner said Thursday it estimates 1.6 million Windows Phones were sold in the first quarter of this year, which the Stamford, Conn., research firm called "only modest."
In comparison, Google said last week more than 400,000 people are buying an Android smartphone or other device daily, and there are now more than 100 million Android mobile devices in use. Google offers Android, its operating system, to phone makers free.
In the first quarter, Google Android was installed on 36 percent of smartphones shipped to wireless carriers; Nokia's Symbian was in 27 percent; Apple iPhone's iOS in 17 percent; Research In Motion's BlackBerry in 13 percent; and Microsoft in 3 percent, Gartner said.
Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, has said it plans under its deal with Microsoft to start selling a large number of Windows Phones in 2012.
Research firm IDC says that because of Nokia, Microsoft's chances look far better in the next few years. If Microsoft can deliver a solid lineup on Nokia phones, the Framingham, Mass., research company said it expects fast growth in 2012 and the potential for Windows Phone to get to second place behind Android in four years.
Here is what the company has already said it will add to the Windows update, code-named "Mango." In February, CEO Steve Ballmer said Twitter integration with the phone's address book is coming, as are multi-tasking features and a mobile version of Internet Explorer 9. He showed a demo of the phone being used as a controller for an Xbox Kinect game.
In April, the company said developers could build apps that can animate tiles on the phone's home screen, and that the phone's Bing search engine would search through apps, as well as websites.
The company has already sent an update code-named "NoDo" to Windows Phone users, adding the basic "copy and paste" and some improvements for software speed.
Windows Phone owners complained NoDo came later than promised, and Microsoft was slow to explain what was going on. The company eventually acknowledged in late March that the update process had been "rocky" and apologized, both online and at the MIX developer conference in April. As of early May, the company said it was in the process of delivering the update.
"I would have to think the bigger thing that is hurting them is all this discussion about updating and problems," said Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm in Kirkland.
"If they can roll out the next incremental improvement — well, if they can do it smoothly — it's the thing people are asking for that could have a driving factor" in sales.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Lindsay Lohan Accuser to 911: 'She Hit Me with the Phone'
In a newly released 911 call, a worker the Betty Ford Center says she ordered Lindsay Lohan to pack her bags and leave the facility after the actress hit her during a December argument.
The Associated Press reports that the six-minute call started with a chaotic exchange between Lohan and the worker, Dawn Holland, as they argued over control of the phone at the rehab center in Palm Desert, CA.
Lohan and Holland take turns talking with the dispatcher, with the worker at one point saying: "I have a problem because Lindsay Lohan pushed me and hit me with the phone while I was trying to talk to you." Holland is heard on the call telling the actress: "Lindsay, you need to pack your (expletive). Cause now I'm getting ready to file charges on you."
At one point during the call, Lohan tells the dispatcher she had never seen Holland before. "She's freaking me out," Lohan said, when she was able to get on the phone.
The December 12 incident prompted an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, but prosecutors announced last week they had not found sufficient evidence to file any charges. Holland was later fired by the center after giving an on-camera interview to celebrity website TMZ.
When the dispatcher asks whether Lohan tried to sneak out of the facility, she replies: "Oh yes, she got busted trying to hop back over the fence."
Lohan still faces a felony grand theft charge for allegedly taking a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, CA jewelry store shortly after she was released from the Betty Ford Center. The actress is due back in court for that case on April 22.
CECT ZW6 Touchscreen Cell Phone Watch
It functions as a watch, cell phone, mp3 player, and movie player, plus the ZW6 Touchscreen Cell Phone Watch also has built in functions including a calendar, calculator, world clock, rate exchange, unit converter, health manager, memo, and notebook.
ZW6 Touchscreen Cell Phone Watch Highlights
1.Touchscreen interface makes it extremely easy to input phone numbers and text messages.
2.Unlocked: Just insert sim card and start to talk. No contract to buy!
3.Text messaging made easy with the handwriting input mode.
4.Internet browsing is no problem.
5.Quad band 850/900/1800/1900MHZ mobile phone can be used for worldwide including North America. Call your cell phone service provider to confirm.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Windows Phone Will Beat iPhone Next Year
New leaks strongly suggest that the Windows Phone will beat the iPhone next year, as opposed to in 2015.
Microsoft late last year introduced the new Windows Phone, or at least that's what the company claimed it was doing. It turns out that Windows Phones like the HTC HD7 and Samsung Focus are internally referred to as "KIN on Steroids", while the actual Windows Phone is slated to make its debut in mid-2012.
Sources close to the matter describe the Windows Phone as the device that gave Nokia no other choice than to join forces with Microsoft. "It immediately became apparent to Nokia VPs that they were standing on a burning platform," an insider said.
While minimum required specs for the Windows Phone is still unknown, Microsoft is said to have teamed up with ARM to produce a custom M8 chip, possibly indicating a 8nm architecture that will be several years ahead of competing chips when it comes to power consumption.
The Windows Phone concept is said to focus on a new generation of Natural User Interfaces (NUI). An insider describes it as the highway to the future. We can only speculate about what kind of interfaces the Windows Phone will offer, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for the possibility to extend the Windows Phone screen beyond the actual screen.
The truly amazing part of the Windows Phone is said to be its price, however, as a new partnership between Microsoft and Nokia aim to give it a MSRP of $50. While a final agreement has yet to be reached, a source says that the motivation on Nokia's end to prove Steve Jobs wrong when it comes to the quality of a $50 smartphone will ultimately close the deal.
Do we smell a Carphone Warehouse exclusive at launch in the UK? We certainly do. It remains to be seen if the Windows Phone will reach U.S. shores though, as Google and its many friends at U.S. carriers are reportedly working on a similar project that involves face recognition and more. Google denies it, but CNN claims it's indeed happening. But can they match the Windows Phone's $50 MSRP? Only time will tell.
Microsoft late last year introduced the new Windows Phone, or at least that's what the company claimed it was doing. It turns out that Windows Phones like the HTC HD7 and Samsung Focus are internally referred to as "KIN on Steroids", while the actual Windows Phone is slated to make its debut in mid-2012.
Sources close to the matter describe the Windows Phone as the device that gave Nokia no other choice than to join forces with Microsoft. "It immediately became apparent to Nokia VPs that they were standing on a burning platform," an insider said.
While minimum required specs for the Windows Phone is still unknown, Microsoft is said to have teamed up with ARM to produce a custom M8 chip, possibly indicating a 8nm architecture that will be several years ahead of competing chips when it comes to power consumption.
The Windows Phone concept is said to focus on a new generation of Natural User Interfaces (NUI). An insider describes it as the highway to the future. We can only speculate about what kind of interfaces the Windows Phone will offer, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for the possibility to extend the Windows Phone screen beyond the actual screen.
The truly amazing part of the Windows Phone is said to be its price, however, as a new partnership between Microsoft and Nokia aim to give it a MSRP of $50. While a final agreement has yet to be reached, a source says that the motivation on Nokia's end to prove Steve Jobs wrong when it comes to the quality of a $50 smartphone will ultimately close the deal.
Do we smell a Carphone Warehouse exclusive at launch in the UK? We certainly do. It remains to be seen if the Windows Phone will reach U.S. shores though, as Google and its many friends at U.S. carriers are reportedly working on a similar project that involves face recognition and more. Google denies it, but CNN claims it's indeed happening. But can they match the Windows Phone's $50 MSRP? Only time will tell.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sony Ericsson: We're Committed to CDMA, Android
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for Verizon Wireless
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, for Verizon Wireless, is the first phone with a PlayStation gaming experience on board.
Here I'm playing Star Battalion. The control pads make a huge difference in gaming.
The Xperia Play comes with several top games preloaded, and you'll be able to download more from Verizon's or Google's app stores.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Windows Phone 7 update resource debuts
Windows Phone 7 owners now have a resource that provides them with basic information on when their devices will receive their next update.
The appropriately named "Where's my phone update?" Web page lists six available Windows Phone 7 devices in the U.S., along with the status of software updates--in testing, scheduling, or delivery. The resource will be updated once a week.
When a device is in the testing phase, its software update is undergoing "mobile operator network and quality tests." Once that's complete, it moves to scheduling, at which point the software giant is deciding which day to launch the update. According to Microsoft, scheduling takes up to 10 days. After that period, the company launches the update to customers "in batches." According to Microsoft, it could take Windows Phone 7 users "several weeks before you receive notice that an update is available to you."
Microsoft's new resource, which launched yesterday, comes just a day after the company started to roll out its latest Windows Phone 7 update, which includes the ability for users to copy and paste text. It also boasts better searching for the Apps Marketplace and speed improvements.
But as the phone update page shows, the chances of many users getting their hands on the update anytime soon seem slim. The Dell Venue Pro, HTC HD7, HTC Surround, LG Quantum, and Samsung Focus are still awaiting the February update, which featured minor improvements. With the March update, only the Dell Venue Pro and the HTC HD7 have made it out of the testing phase.
Of course, there might be good reason for Microsoft to want to take its time with these rollouts. Last month, the company started updating Windows Phone 7 devices, only to find that the update caused what Microsoft called a "technical issue" with a "small number of Samsung phones." That "issue" rendered some of those phones inoperable.
After nixing the update and releasing it days later when issues had been addressed, reports surfaced claiming the updates were once again causing problems with Windows Phone 7 devices.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20046688-17.html#ixzz1HWqKzJ4h
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