Hasta La Gadget!

While there are signs HTC’s fortunes might turn a corner through the launch of the One, few would doubt that its finances could use some streamlining. The company has just outlined one of the ways it will be pinching pennies: it’s closing its Watch movie stores in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden by May 31st, with some Italians reporting a shutdown on the 15th. As the company explains to us in a statement (after the break), it’s concentrating on supporting Watch in those regions with the “highest engagement” while dropping those with “less application traffic” — in short, markets with poor performance get the boot. HTC stresses that Watch isn’t going away, however, and it’s delivering a steady stream of content. We’re glad to hear that the company is sharpening its focus rather than cutting the cord. Still, that won’t be much consolation to movie-loving Europeans and Scandinavians.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, HTC

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Source: Telefonino.net (translated)

Nokia courted fashionistas back at Mobile World Congress with the Lumia 720, and it’s ready to embrace them more fully now that the slim Windows Phone is rolling out to its first countries. We’ve already seen it launch in Australia and the UK, where it’s available for free when subscribing to relatively frugal postpaid plans of either $29 AUD (on Virgin Mobile Australia) or £22 (on O2 UK); Brits can also spend £300 at O2 to use the phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Other countries will get their units in short order, including Italy next week (for €349 off-contract) and Russia. As a reminder, it’s not coming to the US in an official capacity: while the mid-tier device made a visit to the FCC, the absence of LTE largely precludes American carrier deals. Some of us will have to gaze on the Lumia 720 from afar as a result, but many of those craving the most stylish of Nokia smartphones can get some satisfaction very shortly.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Via: All About Windows Phone

Source: O2 UK, Virgin Mobile Australia

I love Ghostbusters. Those movies were classics. Ghostbuster Italia community member Guusc72 love hims some ghostbusting action too, and has something strange in his neighborhood in Italy. He went all out, and built himself an incredibly detailed replica of the basement set from Ghostbusters.

It even has a containment unit with movie accurate lights, sounds, and… a destruct mode. It may not be 100% accurate, but it’s still pretty damn impressive. The containment unit is even functional like the one in the movie. So what if these guys don’t look like the actual Ghostbusters. This basement rocks. Check out a comparison shot and see for yourself.

Check out this video of the room’s destruct mode.

This is all too awesome for words. He did an awesome job. This guy should charge people for a tour of the place.

[via Uproxx via Geekosystem]

LG is about to kick its currently slow, worldwide Optimus G deployment into high gear. Right in time for Mobile World Congress, the company has confirmed that its late 2012 flagship is about to reach Europe. Sweden gets first crack at the Optimus G before February is over, while at least France, Germany and Italy are next in line. Every European version will ship with the Jelly Bean update LG promised for new launches back in late January. It adds more than just obvious Android 4.1 features like Google Now and rich notifications: there’s a wider variety of QSlide-friendly apps, better status bar controls and small perks like Privacy Keeper for calls and Safety Care live support. We’re still waiting for Jelly Bean to hit the US, but Europeans (and envious Americans) can see what they’ll get by watching the video after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Apple’s warranty plans have drawn the ire of a Belgian consumer watchdog agency, Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats. The group has filed a complaint against the company over how AppleCare is sold and marketed to customers, who in the EU by default are entitled to a free two-year warranty with any consumer electronics purchase. The complaint says Apple markets its warranties in a manner which doesn’t properly explain consumer rights to Belgian gadget shoppers.

The decision to pursue legal action comes only after Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats decided to join up with 10 other Europe-based entities to make complaints about how Apple operates its warranties, but now the group feels it is time to escalate to a court case after efforts to petition the Mac maker have gone unheard. The move also follows successful action in Italy regarding the same exact issue, a case which the Belgian watchdog cites as a precedent, noting that Apple not only had to pay a €900,000 penalty in that case, but also modified its practices for the Italian market.

Why all the fuss? There is lots of money to be made in value-added warranties, that’s why. It’s not clear exactly how much Apple makes via AppleCare, which offers consumers extended protection on their devices above Apple’s basic one-year warranty, for an additional fee. But it is likely a lot; added warranties are much higher profit than gadgets themselves, since many consumers never take advantage of their services at all, more than compensating for the few who do redeem them for expensive repairs or replacements. That’s why Apple isn’t moving to change its practices in the EU for anything short of a court order to do so, and why we may see others beyond the Belgian group pursue the same kind of action.