Hasta La Gadget!

I have a problem. I own a smartphone – an iPhone 5 – that comes with a nicely sized, 4-inch screen. When I surf to Web sites, I’m able to see whatever I want. When I go to the iTunes Store and buy a movie or two, I can enjoy them without any trouble whatsoever. For me, the 4-inch screen is an ideal size.

Then again, I thought the same with my former iPhone, which came with a smaller 3.5-inch display. I thought for sure that I wouldn’t need a larger screen. But when I got my hands on the bigger display, I decided otherwise.

Now, though, I’m looking at new devices from companies like LG and Samsung, like the Galaxy S 4, that come with screen sizes that hit 5 inches, and I can’t help but wonder why anyone would need a device featuring a screen size that large. Let’s face it – there comes a point when screen sizes become too big and unwieldy. And I wonder if a 5-inch display from Samsung is one such device.

Of course, those who love Android will have a much different opinion on the matter. They believe that Apple is delivering products that only come with 4-inch screens is absolutely ridiculous. It’s too small a screen, the critics say, and it’s the kind of limitation that Apple places on products that make them want an Android handset.

I can understand both points. Apple ostensibly believes that a 4-inch tablet makes sense for customers. Samsung and others, however, see that as one of the issues with Apple’s products, and believe that customers want the biggest display they can get. While I agree that there are literally millions of people around the globe that do want the larger screens, at what point do they become too big?

“There’s a point where a large screen becomes ridiculous”

The way I see it, we’ve pushed the envelope to a point where there might not be much more room for larger screens. Most people today put their devices into their pockets or in small places in their purses. They don’t have the room, necessarily, to keep putting larger and larger products into those places. It comes to a point when a device has such a large screen that using it becomes ridiculous. And there comes a point when companies have to realize that and find other ways to attract us. It’s not easy, for sure, but it’s absolutely necessary.

So, I think we should examine whether smartphone screen sizes are getting too big. As I said earlier, I’ll be the first to admit that I like a nice, big screen. But after 5 inches, I don’t think it makes sense for companies to deliver products that deliver anything bigger. And I’m not so sure that consumers will respond favorably to such a move.

So, before you buy that 5-inch-screen-equipped screen, think twice. Will it be too big? Will it be just right? Everyone is different. But not acknowledging the possibility of screen sizes being too big for their own good is a mistake.

When Do Smartphone Screens Become Too Big? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As T-Mobile begins their push for the iPhone 5 as they finally have the device available for sale directly, they’ve created a trade-in offer where you’ll toss them your old iPhone for a deal. When you do trade in your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S (no other device will do) right up until June 16th (Father’s Day), you’ll get a $0 down deal on the iPhone 5 – plus monthly payments. This will knock out $99.99 USD from your final bill – and you’ve got the potential to knock out a whole lot more than that!

When you get an iPhone 5 from T-Mobile normally, you’ll be paying $99.99 up front and $20 per month for 24 months. That’s $480 + $99.99 = $579.99 USD. This compares to two other prices you could potentially pay for the iPhone 5, both of them available both here and in our iPhone 5 T-Mobile pricing breakdown.

1. On-contract from non-T-Mobile carriers: $199 with subsidy costs built-in to your data/voice/text plan (you can’t see it, but it’s there).
2. Off-contract straight from Apple: $649 (we’ll stick to the 16GB version since T-Mobile is advertising that model as their hero with $99.99 down and so forth)
3. T-Mobile payment plan: $579.99 ($99.99 down with $20 per month for 24 months)

According to T-Mobile you’ll get the first $99.99 knocked off of your bill, bringing you back to the payments of $20 USD per month for 24 months, this ending up at $480 USD. T-Mobile also notes that your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S might be worth more than that base $99.99 trade-in value:

“Depending on the trade-in value of their device, customers will also receive a credit of up to $120, which can be used toward monthly payments, an existing T-Mobile bill, or the purchase of accessories or another device.” – T-Mobile

We’ve reached out to T-Mobile to get clarification on what this added value might be: more than likely it’ll depend on how mint your device is and/or if you’ve got a device with more internal storage than the basic 16GB model. UPDATE: Below you’ll now find details on which device will get you the most from T-Mobile and what your minimum requirements will be as well.

Customer trades-in an iPhone 5
• $0 Down on new iPhone 5
• Monthly EIP payments are $13/mo for 24 months
• –OR- Customer receives up to $164 bill credit, which can be applied toward monthly payments, a T-Mobile bill or the purchase of accessories or another device

Customer trades-in an iPhone 4S
• $0 Down on new iPhone 5
• Monthly EIP payments are $15/mo for 24 months
• –OR- Customer receives up to $120 bill credit, which can be applied toward monthly payments, a T-Mobile bill or the purchase of accessories or another device

Customer trades-in an iPhone 4
• $0 Down on new iPhone 5
• Monthly EIP payments are $19/mo for 24 months
• –OR- Customer receives up to $24 bill credit, which can be applied toward monthly payments, a T-Mobile bill or the purchase of accessories or another device

“The used device must meet minimal criteria including being in good condition, having an intact and working display and being free of liquid damage or corrosion and also goes through security checks to ensure it is not a device that has been reported lost or stolen.” – T-Mobile Representative

NOTE: If you need convincing that the iPhone 5 is a device you need to own, have a peek at our full iPhone 5 review, now!

So is this trade-in worth it? You simply must see how much your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S is worth on the open market to decide. If you sell your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S on ebay, for instance, you might get more than $500 USD for it – but you’ll also have to make absolutely sure you know how to wipe out your device before you sell it, unlock it so the person you’re selling it to can use it, and have a basic knowledge of how to sell and ship items with ebay in the first place.

If these sorts of must-haves scare the living daylights out of you, you have three options, each of them better than the last:

1. Just keep your iPhone and buy a new iPhone 5 from T-Mobile so you’ve got 2 iPhones, the older one just as awesome as an iPod.
2. Trade your iPhone in with T-Mobile and get that new iPhone 5 – they’ll take care of the details.
3. Ask your nephew or niece how to make ebay sell your stuff – and don’t forget to give them a few bucks for the effort!

Stay tuned as we get the final details from T-Mobile on what they’ll be looking for in regards to the above-and-beyond $99.99 value of your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. Seeya then!

T-Mobile’s $0 iPhone 5 trade-in: is it worth it? [PRICING UPDATE] is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, China, the very first appearance of Intel’s new 32nm Atom processor Z2580 has been unleashed in the comically named ZTE GEEK. While the geek name might not hold the same meaning for everyone around the world, the name alone makes us here at SlashGear want to own it – it’s wild! This machine works with a massive 5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean under the hood.

This machine will have an undeniably strange combination of 8GB eMMC+1GBRAM. This means that while we’re working with a next-generation processor, we’ve still got just half the RAM we’d have on the rest of the hero devices out there today. With 8GB of storage inside, you’ll also be relying on this device’s microSD card slot for storage of games and whatnot.

The back-facing camera here is 8 megapixels strong, the front is a small 1 megapixel, and you’ll be kicking around a CPU frequency of 2.0Ghz – that’s nothing to joke about! This device is being released with this generation’s other ZTE devices like the Grand X IN (another Intel-based smartphone) and the ZTE V98 tablet. Have a peek at our ZTE tag portal for additional information on these devices.

Also have a peek at the timeline below to see the rest of the ZTE action we’ve covered over the past few weeks. Though most of these devices will not be reaching the USA, we’re still pumped up about the possibility of getting them in with their beastly processors ready to take on the games and high-powered apps of today regardless. Keep on cruzing, ZTE!

ZTE GEEK marks first appearance of Intel’s Z2580 SoC is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The HTC One is the latest HTC flagship smartphone announced just before MWC at a press conference in NYC. Simply put, the One is one of the most beautiful smartphone introduced in 2013, and it packs serious performance as well. In a market dominated by Samsung and Apple, we hope that this will allow the Taiwanese manufacturer to come back in the game of high end phones. The successor of the HTC One X released last year, the HTC One brings a number of innovations to the table.

On the hardware side, one of the most significant new features are the Ultrapixel camera sensor which captures more light than regular sensors, the HTC BoomSound and its dual frontal stereo speakers and a great 4.7” 1080p display. On the software side, the HTC one features the new Sense 5 with BlinkFeed, Sense TV and the Zoe Camera.

In the complete review, you will find out if the HTC One will hold up against its major competitor.
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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC First Running Facebook Home Demo [HD video], Facebook Home Demo at Facebook HQ,

Buffalo is releasing 2 models of its mobile battery that can be used for both iPhone and Android smartphones in late April; 5,200mAh capacity “BSMPB04″ (iPhone can be recharged fully 3 times), and 2,600mAh capacity “BSMPB03″ (iPhone can be recharged fully 1.5 times).

There is an LED display on the unit to tell you the remaining battery charge at a glance. Also, by using On/Off switches on the side, you can save battery life while not recharging.

BSMPB04 (5,200mAh)
Price: ¥6,300 (including tax)
Colors: black, white

BSMPB03 (2,600mAh)
Price: ¥4,200 (including tax)
Colors: black, white