Hasta La Gadget!

April showers might bring May flowers, but the only precipitation we really care for around here is that of flagship handsets into stores. In that case, it’s time to break out the raincoats: the HTC One is officially on sale at AT&T and Sprint as of today. Both carriers and their resellers are offering the aluminum wunderkind in its silver guise at $200 on contract for a 32GB model, with AT&T still holding the US exclusive on a $300 64GB version. Those jonesing for different hues or radios will have to wait a little while longer, however. The T-Mobile edition won’t officially land until the 24th, and a black 32GB model is still “weeks” away from landing at AT&T and Sprint. Provided you’re not the exception to the rule, though, you’re cleared to buy what’s arguably the first US-bound flagship of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Sprint, AT&T

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Source: AT&T, Sprint

After nearly a year of soaking rural and suburban locations with 4G, Sprint is finally starting to extend its reach to some major cities. Having wrapped up test runs in a handful of areas, the carrier is now officially offering LTE in 21 additional markets, including Los Angeles, CA, Charlotte, NC, Virginia Beach, VA, Memphis, TN and West Palm Beach, FL. What’s more, the Now Network revealed plans to bring its new high-speed offerings to more than 170 additional markets in the months ahead. Some of the cities on its docket include Orlando, FL, Portland, OR, El Paso, TX, Tulsa, OK and Spokane, WA. Didn’t see your hometown name-checked here? Check out the press release after the break for the full list.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Talk of a Galaxy S 4 Mini started while many of us were still processing the impact of its full-size cousin, but there was little to go on at first beyond unverifiable imagery and top-level specs. Thankfully, Samsung itself just removed some of the doubt through a user agent profile on its own website. While the code only references a previously suspected GT-i9190 handle (the Galaxy S III Mini is the GT-i8190), a 960 x 540 screen and an ARM11-compatible processor, those details are enough to suggest the tiny Life Companion is more than just a rumor — and, not surprisingly, less powerful than the GS 4. Dutch site TechTastic even claims to have spotted the Galaxy S 4 Mini by name when searching for the GT-i9190’s profile, although Samsung may have already scrubbed any such evidence. When previous rumors had the Mini surfacing not long after its bigger counterpart, we imagine it won’t be long before we know if the handset exists as more than just a string of text.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: TechTastic (translated), SlashGear

Source: Samsung

Existing methods for controlling brain activity tend to skew the results by their very nature — it’s difficult to behave normally with a wad of optical fibers or electrical wires in your head. The University of Illinois and Washington University have developed a much subtler approach to optogenetics that could lift that weight from the mind in a very literal sense. Their approach inserts an extra-thin ribbon into the brain with LEDs that are about as big as the neurons they target, stimulating deeper parts of the mind with high precision and minimal intrusion; test mice could act as if the ribbon weren’t there. The solution also lets researchers detach the wireless transceiver and power from the ribbon to lighten the load when experiments are over. Practical use of these tiny LEDs is still a long ways off, but it could lead to both gentler testing as well as better treatment for mental conditions that we don’t fully understand today.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: Mobile Magazine

Source: University of Illinois

Australians have long had access to the BBC, although a current four-channel lineup on Foxtel won’t completely satisfy fans of British TV when it’s just a sliver of the content they know. BBC Worldwide should be closing some of that (figurative) distance, though, with plans to offer a premium channel through Foxtel’s network. The as-yet-unnamed service will give Aussies a chance at first-run BBC shows about a year before they’d broadcast over the air there. and without ads. (Pretty good for not having a UK TV license.) The BBC content will naturally be available in HD, as well as for mobile streaming through Foxtel Go. About the only drawback to the channel outside of its premium nature is the mid-2014 start date, but that may be a small sacrifice for determined Anglophiles and ex-pats.

[Image credit: Teknorat, Flickr]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: The Next Web

Source: BBC Worldwide