Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to Samsung’s most recent flagship smartphone, just about everyone knows that the Samsung Galaxy S4 would be quite the best seller in most markets where it is sold. Sprint will be one of the major mobile carriers in the US to offer the Samsung Galaxy S4, where it is finally made available to the masses after an initial delay. Even better news is, all Samsung Galaxy S4 consumers on Sprint will be on the receiving end of its first OTA update as of today.

It is safe to say that you do not really need that much power left in your Galaxy S4 in order to download this over the air (OTA) update that weighs in at approximately 24MB in size, while bumping up the software version to build L720VPUAMDL. It is rather unfortunate that there is no changelog available for this particular update, so it is safe to assume that this particular update is a last minute patch for the smartphone’s software. Just in case you missed the notification of the software update on your Galaxy S4, you can always attempt a manual update by going to Settings > More > System Update.

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Despite bidding competition from Dish, Softbank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, has told Reuters that he sees no need to adjust his company’s offer for Sprint. In fact, he’s even seen support from Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who stated in a letter to the FCC last week that a third competitive national carrier is “very compelling.”

During the company’s financial results today, Softbank’s Son went on the attack, spending a big chunk of the presentation pitching what his company would offer over its rival’s bid. He kicked off by saying that Dish’s offer (and comparisons) was “illusory” and how the Japanese carrier’s offer had a 21 percent premium over its rival’s, along with a swifter turnaround: two months compared to a year. Son also said that his company’s offer would sidestep the difficulties in combining spectrum in the US, as Softbank doesn’t currently hold any US wireless spectrum at the moment. The CEO added: “If our deal doesn’t go through with Sprint… the carrier won’t have the cash to follow through with their network vision [this year].”

Earlier in the earnings event, Son said that his company’s healthy native position was “just a stepping stone”, and that he’s now aiming for the number one spot in mobile internet globally — Sprint appears to be a big part of those plans.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint

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Source: @masason (Twitter)

In each issue of Distro, editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.

This week I’m writing from a special place: from the perspective of a Google Glass owner. Well, to be honest I’m not wearing them this exact moment — I’m actually at 30,000 feet, making the most of a Gogo connection, and when your phone is in airplane mode there’s not much point in wearing the headset. Unless, of course, you’re looking for a conversation starter. In that role, the headset performs impeccably even when turned completely off.

It’s been an interesting couple days wearing the headset around, days I’ll continue to chronicle on the site because I know many of you are eager to know what Glass is like. I know this because I’ve had dozens of strangers come up to me and ask, “What’s it like?” Suffice to say, Glass is very interesting and the potential is compelling, but right now the thing is somewhat frustrating in its limited functionality. That’ll change real soon as more developers get to grips with the Mirror API.

Filed under: Apple, Samsung, Sony, Google, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, Nintendo

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It was at the end of last year that we speculated the Samsung Galaxy S3 (which will soon be dethroned by its successor from the flagship position) might be on the receiving end of a Multi-View update, but that speculation came to nought – at least until now. For those who happen to own the Samsung Galaxy S3 with Sprint as your mobile carrier of choice, you might want to take note that an update has already been made available for your smartphone via OTA (Over The Air), and Multi-View would be one of the new features you will be able to enjoy after applying the update.

What does Multi-View bring to the picture? Well, this particular app would enable you to split the display on the Galaxy S3 in half, allowing two different apps to run simultaneously, making it a haven for multitaskers. Of course, it does help that the screen of the Galaxy S3 is generous, although larger phablets like the Galaxy Note 2 would benefit even more from Multi-View. Other features that arrive with this OTA update include Paper Artist, camera enhancements, and an improved ability to send bulk SMS messages.

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FreedomPop recently set to upset the world of ISPs by offering free broadband Internet, which was a little too good to be true when we realized it would offer only 1GB of Internet service for free per month. It’s now setting its sights to the world of 4G Internet as they’re announcing their first hotspot.

FreedomPop’s Overdrive Pro is a $40 hotspot that features a dual-mode that allows it to use Sprint’s nationwide 3G network when WiMAX isn’t available and will allow its users to have 500MB of free wireless network access per month. For those data-hungry users who can’t get by on a measly 500MB of Internet service per month, FreedomPop offers a monthly 2GB plan for $20, which seems like a fair deal when you consider the first 500MB of a month will be completely free for you.

Customers who happen to already own a previous FreedomPop hotspot can upgrade to the Overdrive Pro by making a quick call to the company’s customer service. Considering this one will be able to connect to a wider range of wireless networks, we think it’s safe to say you should get to upgrading immediately.

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