Hasta La Gadget!

FreedomPop’s gamble on free WiMAX data launched in beta at the start of month, but early adopters had to be contented with conventional hotspots and modems at first; those of us with a fixation on data-only cellular handsets had to keep waiting. We can stay slightly cooler-headed now that the provider is shipping its iPod touch 4G Sleeve. Shelling out $99 grafts a 4G hotspot to the back of the fourth-generation media player that gives it independence from WiFi as well as connection sharing with eight other devices — at least, for anyone willing to burn through that 500MB of free monthly data in record time. About the only catches are the $10 per gigabyte overage fee and a design that’s just slightly behind the times for iPod addicts. While some of us will still cling to smartphones for coverage or legacy reasons, others who mostly communicate through Instagram food photos could have that excuse they need to drop cellular phone service once and for all.

Update: Thanks to reader (and early adopter) Penn who pointed out that overages are $20 per gigabyte if you’re on the free plan — it’s only $10 if you’re a regularly paying customer.

Continue reading FreedomPop ships its 4G-enabling iPod touch case, lets us nearly go phoneless for $99 (update: plan clarifications)

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wireless, Networking, Mobile

FreedomPop ships its 4G-enabling iPod touch case, lets us nearly go phoneless for $99 (update: plan clarifications) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After announcing slightly under par financials, Apple has added more ways it can be paid for apps, though it also bumped the minimum freight to get one across Europe. The new lowest price users in France, Germany, Italy and other nations “over there” can pay for an app is now €0.89, a euro-dime bump from before — apparently due to the weak euro and local tax hikes. On the other hand, Cupertino also added more currencies accepted at its store: South African Rand, Turkish Lira, Russian Rubles, Indian Rupees, Isreali New Shekel’s, Saudi Arabian Riyal, Indonesian Rupish and UAE Dirham can all now be used to pay. Apple has tinkered with its prices before in varying amounts overseas depending on the nation, so you may want to check your own country’s App Store for the news — bad or good.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Mobile

Apple adds Rubles and other currencies to App Store, bumps minimum price to €0.89 in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rara.com has been mighty busy since its luddite-friendly music streaming service launched at the end of last year, and now it’s reporting the outcome of those 10 months of toil. In addition to an improved web experience and new Android widget, an AirPlay-compatible app for iOS is now available, with software for Windows 8 arriving alongside its launch. Rara’s 18 million tracks haven’t only invaded other platforms, but other countries, too — residents of Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa and Portugal have joined the party, bringing the total number of compatible countries to 27. Lenovo is also getting a piece of the action, as a worldwide agreement means Rara software will now come pre-installed on the manufacturer’s Android tablets and Windows 8 gear. Want to hear more about Rara’s recent accomplishments? Then head for the PR after the break.

Continue reading Rara.com expands to iOS, Windows 8 and more countries

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Internet, Software, Lenovo

Rara.com expands to iOS, Windows 8 and more countries originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has sold three million of its new iPod touch 5th gen and iPod nano 7th gen media players since they went on sale, the company has confirmed. Announced alongside the iPhone 5 back in September, the two new iPods are best-sellers, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed.

The figures are particularly impressive given many have suggested that standalone media players are a dying breed. Smartphones – capable of just as much media playback, and more – are increasingly taking on the role that once standalone PMPs might have filled.

That’s not to say that either the iPod touch or the iPod nano are limited to just music. Both play video, and the iPod nano has integrated Nike+ sports functionality. The iPod touch runs iOS 6, just like the iPhone 5, which means it has access to the App Store.

We’re covering all of Apple’s iPad mini event in San Jose today, and you can find all the details at our Apple Hub.

Apple sells 3m iPod touch 5G and iPod nano 7G is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been just over one month since Apple released iOS 6 to the masses, and it seems all the criticism and issues that users have been complaining about hasn’t stopped other users from upgrading to the new version. Mobile advertising network Chitika announced today that iOS 6 has finally been leveling out with more than 60% of iDevices upgraded to iOS 6.

While iOS 6 is installed on more than 60% of iOS devices, that still leaves 40% left over. Besides iOS 6, what’s the most popular iOS version that users are running? Chitika reports that 25% of users are running iOS 5.1 (myself included), 9% are still on iOS 4, and 4% are running iOS 5, with 1% of iDevice owners running an older version of iOS.

Obviously, you have to take into account that a lot of older iOS devices aren’t able to upgrade to iOS 6, including the original iPad, the iPhone 3G, and the third-generation iPod Touch. So, it would be interesting to see the iOS 6 adoption rate that only counts the devices that are actually able to upgrade to the new version. We’re sure the percentage would be a lot higher.

However, while Chitika says that adoption for iOS 6 has begun to level out, that doesn’t mean it has peaked yet. They expect a slower climb for iOS in the coming weeks, with the possibility of reaching a 70% market share when adoption eventually peaks. They mention that the upcoming release of the iPad mini will likely make that happen.

iOS 6 adoption rate levels out at over 60% after one month is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.