Hasta La Gadget!

Prefer the internet to be, um, fast? That puts you outside the norm, according to Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao. Speaking to investors, he said that he’d visited an EE store to try out 4G LTE speeds for himself and “all I saw [were] technofreaks.” As reported by Mobile News, the CEO added that only “early adopters” would notice the difference between LTE and HSPA+ and none of his friends or colleagues have told him “that we need this fast internet.” While he may want to start running with a different crowd, EE’s already hoisted him on his own petard with a new Twitter campaign — “EE welcomes technofreaks.” See the coverage and image after the fold for more.

[Image credit: WikiMedia Commons]

Filed under: Wireless, Internet

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Source: Mobile News

If mobile phone contracts just aren’t your thing, then you’re most likely on a prepaid plan, and Verizon Wireless has just rolled out two new options for 3G-enabled smartphones of “budget-minded” consumers. Both plans offer unlimited voice and texting, and the 500MB option will cost $60 per month, while 2GB of data will cost $70 per month.

If you didn’t already catch it, these new plans are only for 3G smartphones, meaning that newer devices with LTE capabilities are out of the question, which means you’ll have to be rocking an older Android device or an iPhone 4 or 4S in order to take advantage of these new plans. That’s certainly not terrible news by any means, considering that you probably have an older device anyways if your current contract is about to expire.

While these new prepaid plans still might feel like highway robbery, the carrier only had one prepaid plan available at the time, which was an $80-per-month plan that got you unlimited talk and text, but only 1GB of data. This time around, you can get 2GB of data for $10 less per month. That still might not be the greatest deal, but it’s a much better option for those looking to save a bit of cash.

Personally, 2GB of data for $70 per month isn’t that bad, but considering how you could get unlimited data for $30 per month (on top of your voice and text plan, of course) just a year ago is pretty sad. Many people are switching to regional carriers in order to save cash, and many smaller wireless providers, like Straight Talk or Pure Talk, offer unlimited everything for under $50 per month.

Verizon offering new prepaid plans for 3G phones is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

No surprises here since Panasonic already unveiled most its TOUGHBOOKs and its TOUGHPAD last week at CES, but the news here is that these devices will be available in Japan starting from the end of this month for the CF-19, CF-31 and CF-H2 series, middle of February for the CF-C2 and middle of March for the FZ-G1 or TOUGHPAD.
But let’s start with the FZ-G1 or TOUGHPAD. Available in two flavors with a WWAN model and a Wireless-LAN one only the FZ-G1 will come by default with Windows 8, an …

This week the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 7-inch tablet has been revealed in its mobile data-connected iteration as carried by AT&T right here in the USA. This device will be appearing in your hands with 3G – UMTS 850/1900 MHz connectivity and the same 7-inch 1024×600 LCD TN (170 ppi) display you’ll get with the wifi-only version. This machine comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich inside as well as a MediaTek 6575 1.0 Ghz Cortex- A9 processor (single core) to keep you running smooth.

We saw and got our hands on the original version of this 7.68 x 4.92 x 0.47 inch, 14.11 oz machine back in August of 2012. Back then our impressions were that Lenovo was taking on the Google Nexus 7, though not exactly directly due to the underpowered nature of the slate. Though the form factor had us impressed, what with its soft-touch rear cover and its friendly size and shape, the innards did not make for a perfectly pleasant software experience.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is also a bit of a surprise as the bulk of the Android universe is now releasing devices with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or higher with new hardware across the board. We’ll expect some software updates rather rapidly after the release, but won’t be betting too much cash on that possibility. Lenovo’s Android experience is unique one way or the other though, bringing widgets and cloud connections galore to the game. You’ll be able to pick up the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 from AT&T for $199.99 with a two-year contract starting right this minute (if not very, very soon).

Have a peek at our Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 review from this past October to see how the software experience treats you. Then head down the Lenovo rabbit hole to see everything you may have missed from this hardware-heavy company over the past week at CES 2013!

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 tablet hits AT&T for $199 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple expects to have its iPad mini with cellular on sale in China by the end of January, CEO Tim Cook has revealed during his trip to the country this week. The launch news – which follows the release of the WiFi-only iPad mini in China back in early December – was confirmed by Cook in an interview with Tencent, though its LTE connectivity may not be of particular use.

That’s down to incompatibility between the iPad mini cellular’s 4G modem and the LTE networks in operation in China, an issue that has affected usability elsewhere in the world since the 7.9-inch tablet’s release. Still, the 3G will be supported, making for easier connectivity on the move.

The cellular version is already up for preorder in China, in both black and silver, with pricing beginning at 3,488 Chinese yuan ($560) for the 16GB version. Apple’s online store gives no indication of specific release date, only saying that there’s currently no supply.

Demand for the iPad mini in China had been expected to be high, and according to Cook that strong interest is indeed panning out. The CEO has previously suggested that China is the next big growth market for Apple – not an unusual opinion in the consumer electronics industry today – and is visiting the country to meet with suppliers, regulators, and others to discuss Apple’s further expansion.

[via CNET]

China iPad mini cellular launch by end of January CEO Cook confirms is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.