Hasta La Gadget!

AT&T hinted that it was shaking up its GoPhone plans later this month, and it’s making good on its word. As of June 21st, customers using the prepaid service will have access to the same LTE service as their subscription peers; AT&T will mark the occasion by selling the Samsung Galaxy Express to GoPhone users at $250 off-contract. The simplified smartphone plans are here as well, although they’re better than previously expected. The carrier is dropping all data add-ons except for the $5 / 50MB pack, which is only available for a $25 monthly tier with 250 voice minutes and unlimited messaging. However, it will only cost $40 a month for a plan with 200MB of data and 500 minutes, and a $60 plan will offer 2GB of data with unlimited voice. AT&T’s new strategy won’t appease some data lovers, but those trying to avoid long contracts and harsh upgrade policies should be happy.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

In one sense, many budget smartphones aren’t budget enough; they often require some substantial financial discipline for the typical buyer. Not so Vodafone UK’s new Smart Mini: at just £50 ($78) on pay as you go service, it’s very nearly an impulse purchase. You’re even getting a bit more than you’d expect for that small cash outlay. While the 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 2MP camera, 1GHz MediaTek chip and 4GB of storage won’t floor anyone, the Smart Mini ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean — we’ve seen more expensive phones that carry older software. Those who like the Smart Mini’s back-to-basics proposition can pick up a black or white model today.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Vodafone

Looking to get away from all the Apple news? Well, as Ben puts it in this episode, “you’ve come to right podcast” — if you’re all about E3, that is. We’re really excited to talk about how the big announcements from this year’s gaming show will pertain to our HD wants and wishes. Ben hasn’t decided whether to order the PS4 or Xbox, but Richard is considering ordering as many as he can get his mitts on. Of course, that and all the HD news from the rest of the week is ready for streaming below.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Joe Pollicino (@akaTRENT)

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Podcasts, HD

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If you thought the 215TB of satellite imagery Bing Maps added last year was hefty, think again. In what is the largest installment of Bird’s Eye shots yet, the mapping folks in Redmond piled on a whopping 270TB of high-res flyover images to their database yesterday. Some of the more notable (read: gorgeous) additions include overviews of Rome and Milan in Italy, Stavanger in Norway and Kaanapali in Hawaii. Aside from the new visuals, Bing also added a couple of improvements to its Venue Maps with an expanded points of interest list and a new “Report a problem” system so users can inform Bing if a location is marked incorrectly. So go on, head over to the source, select any of the amazing locales and take a little free trip to the other side of the world.

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Source: Bing Maps blog

As commonplace as Time Warner Cable’s TWC TV app might be, it’s surprisingly tricky to find on actual TVs — Roku boxes don’t quite count. The provider is addressing that gap today with plans to release a version for Samsung’s Smart TVs. The new app (not yet pictured here) offers authentication-based access to about 5,000 on-demand shows without any extra hardware. This isn’t a true replacement for a cable box, however — along with the usual subscription requirement, there’s no mention of the live TV that we’ve seen elsewhere. Those who aren’t deterred by the restrictions can load TWC TV on their 2012-era Smart TVs soon, and 2013 sets sometime after that.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Time Warner Cable, TWC Untangled