Feb 09

AT&T rolling out unlimited calling to any mobile number

Posted in: att, mobile, Today's Chili

Following a trend started by Sprint back in 2009, AT&T has just announced that it’ll start offering its customers unlimited calling to any mobile number in the US, regardless of carrier, starting tomorrow (currently, only AT&T numbers qualify). There are a few catches, of course: you’ve got to sign up, you need to be on the company’s unlimited messaging plan, and you need to be on a “qualifying” Nation or FamilyTalk plan. Unlimited messaging runs $20 for individuals and $30 on family plans, so the perk isn’t exactly free — but for many, it should take a big load off the minute bucket. Follow the break for the full press release.

Update: AT&T’s gotten in touch to spell out the qualifying plans — they’ll be the Nation 450 and 900 options along with FamilyTalk 700 or higher.

Continue reading AT&T rolling out unlimited calling to any mobile number

AT&T rolling out unlimited calling to any mobile number originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop  |  sourceAT&T  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 08

Teleca working on Android platform for SiriusXM, enabling more Stern on more devices

Posted in: Android, app, feature, Features, mobile, Software, Today's Chili
Teleca working on Android platform for SiriusXM, enabling more Stern on more devices

The details are unfortunately slim on this one, but we have word that satellite radio powerhouse SiriusXM is going Android for at least some of its future mobile offerings. Teleca, a company that works largely behind the scenes developing software for major companies in the mobile and automotive spaces, is peeking its head out from around the edge of the curtain to announce a new platform for SiriusXM based on Android. It will enable support for devices intended for pockets, car dashboards, and home entertainment centers. Sadly, we couldn’t get anyone to tell us anything more about those devices, including whether SiriusXM is itself looking to release new hardware or just support more existing solutions, things like Ford’s AppLink and Mini Connected. Given the success Pandora has found on that front we’d probably put our money on the latter, but maybe we’ll find out which is the safer bet at Mobile World Congress next week.

Continue reading Teleca working on Android platform for SiriusXM, enabling more Stern on more devices

Teleca working on Android platform for SiriusXM, enabling more Stern on more devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 05

Nokia reportedly planning ‘organizational changes,’ mobile phones exec on the outs

Posted in: business, industry, mobile, nokia, rumor, symbian, Today's Chili

Looks like Capital Markets Day is shaping up to be quite the barnburner for Nokia. In the wake of news that Microsoft and Nokia may have some sort of tie-up in the works, Germany weekly Wirtschaftswoche is reporting that newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop will be bidding adieu to a number of high-ranking officials. Citing “company sources,” the paper stated that Mary T. McDowell, a bigwig in the mobile phones unit, as well as Niklas Savander, the manager of the markets unit, could be on the outs. Moreover, Kai Oistamo (Chief Development Officer) and Tero Ojanpera, the manager responsible for services and mobile solutions, may also be enjoying their final weekends as Nokia employees. It’s all part of a monumental strategy shift, and if it all pans out, it’ll be Elop’s first major move since taking over as CEO last September. Of course, Anssi Vanjoki more or less left on his own accord, and the company has essentially forged ahead with little to no change since. We’re told that Nokia has hired headhunters to scout top people to fill said slots, but it’s hard to say why Elop feels that new brains are needed. Here’s hoping it’s the start of something… competitive.

Update: Having had a few minutes to digest this news, it’s worth pointing out that neither Alberto Torres (exec leading MeeGo Computers) nor Jo Harlow (head of Symbian Smartphones) are rumored to be at risk. So if the report is true, then these organizational changes appear focused on, 1) rectifying Nokia’s inability to quickly execute upon its corporate strategy and, 2) the recent walloping Nokia received in emerging markets like India where Nokia’s S40 feature phones once ruled the land, but are increasingly under attack by aggressively priced cellphones from Chinese and Indian handset makers.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nokia reportedly planning ‘organizational changes,’ mobile phones exec on the outs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Nokia Blog  |  sourceWirtschaftswoche  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 03

Motorola’s Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500

Posted in: 4G, Android, att, business, carrier, Google, GoogleAndroid, hspa, industry, iPhone, marketing, mobile, motorola, partnership, smartphone, Today's Chili

Don’t ever say Ma Bell lacks cahones. On the same day that existing Verizon customers began pre-ordering the CDMA’d iPhone 4, AT&T has come clean with what’s next on America’s largest GSM network. While announced at CES 2011, pricing and release information had eluded the luscious Atrix 4G… until now, that is. AT&T will begin pre-sales for the Froyo-powered Motorola Atrix 4G Android superphone on February 13th, with the standard $199.99 + two-year contract ($50 more than we were led to believe, mind you) getting one into your grubby mitts. We’re told to expect general availability on March 6th “or earlier,” putting it just about in line with the date we’d heard rumored. Moreover, those looking to buy will should have a difficult time laying off of the Laptop Dock bundle, which nets you an Atrix 4G as well as a $499.99 dock for the grand total of $499.99 on contract. You heard right — those who opt to buy the dock at a later time will be asked to shell out five Benjamins, whereas that same tally on day one will also include the phone. It should be noted, however, that the bundle only applies if you also sign your name to a Data Pro plan and tethering add-on, so be sure you’re down for that monthly hit before committing in haste. Oh, and just in case you simply can’t stop spending, the carrier is also offering an Entertainment Access Kit for Atrix 4G customers which includes the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a remote control for $189.99.

Continue reading Motorola’s Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500

Motorola’s Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Wall Street Journal, AT&T  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 29

Study shocker! Mobile users piddle around on the internet while watching TV

Posted in: content, Email, mobile, mobile internet, MobileInternet, research, study, Television, Today's Chili, Yahoo

Shocker of shockers, folks: people do more than just watch TV when they’re watching TV. A study of over 8,000 willing individuals from Nielsen and Yahoo recently discovered that some 86 percent of mobile internet users tinker around on their devices while situated in front of the tube. It seems that Googling random facts, checking their Facebook news feed and seeing who has tweeted in the past 30 seconds were atop the list of activities to do while watching, but strangely, a full 20 percent confessed to search for more information about a commercial they recently saw. Hit the source link below (PDF) to be instantly bombarded with facts and figures, but first, refresh that TweetCaster feed. Ah, so much better.

Study shocker! Mobile users piddle around on the internet while watching TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNielsen / Yahoo [PDF]  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 28

Samsung Fascinate Users: Slide to Unlock Before Calling for Help

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, mobile, samsung, Today's Chili

Samsung Fascinate

The Samsung Fascinate is Verizon Wireless’ version of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone, and recently received an over the air update that included a wealth of bug fixes and general improvements to the Fascinate’s Android OS. 
Unfortunately it came with one minor side effect, namely that the “Emergency Call” button on the phone’s lock screen – the one designed to let you call 911 in an emergency without having to unlock your phone – no longer works. 
Samsung, for its part, promptly apologized for the inconvenience the error may have caused (that’s putting it lightly) and promised to investigate the matter and determine whether the issue was linked to the update (even though it was reported only after the update was released.) For the time being, the company recommends Fascinate users just unlock their phone before placing emergency calls, at least until they can work out a fix. 
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Jan 25

Foursquare Grew 3400% in 2010

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, mobile, Today's Chili

foursquare.jpeg

The occasional PleaseRobMe controversy aside, 2010 turned out to be a pretty solid year for Foursquare. The service reported today that it grew a rather impressive 3,400 percent in 2010 (and continues to grow, judging by the fact that, just last week, the service signed up its six millionth user).
Highlights for the 2010 calendar year include 381.5 million total check-ins including one check-in from space, via the International Space Station, back in October. That month’s Rally to Restore Sanity had the most check-ins for a single event, at 30,525.
New York led the way for most of the highly checked in venues, including Train Station (Penn Station), Hotel (Ace Hotel), Venue (Terminal 5), and Food and Drink (Union Square Green Market). California, meanwhile, led the way for Gym check-ins.
Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that 224 Wendys checked-in to the Wendy’s in Madison, Wisconsin, which, for the record, has a Mayor named Wendy. Phew.

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Jan 23

Nuance opens Dragon Mobile SDK to app developers, we see end to embarrassing dictation

Posted in: apps, mobile, sdk, Today's Chili

There are some messages that are just too embarrassing to dictate to a human being. Lucky for us and the retired circus contortionist we hired to type up our missives, Nuance is expanding the reach of its transcription software by making its Dragon Mobile SDK available to developers for use in iOS and Android applications. The SDK, which is free to members of the Nuance Mobile Developer Program, sports speech-to-text capabilities in eight languages and text-to-speech in 35. There are already apps out there that can do the job, including Nuance’s own Dragon Dictation, but we welcome new advances in automated transcription. You know, it’s not exactly a walk in the park dictating an entire Clay Aiken Fan Club newsletter to a guy named Sid the Human Pretzel.

Nuance opens Dragon Mobile SDK to app developers, we see end to embarrassing dictation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mashable  |  sourceNuance  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 21

Android Phones Fuel HTC Growth; More Planned for 2011

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, honeycomb, HTC, mobile, Phones, Smartphones, Today's Chili

Looks like 2011 is shaping up to be the year of Android for electronics manufacturer HTC.

In a conference call Friday morning, the company reported a massive 93 percent increase in 2010 revenue over 2009, as first reported by PC World. 2010 sales weighed in at a respectable 24.67 million units, up 111 percent from 2009.

“The year 2010 was a breakthrough year,” CEO Peter Chou said in an earnings call Friday. “Going from a company of no scale to one of scale, that process was faster than I expected. Last year was the year that smartphones exploded.”

Android is a major force behind the company’s acceleration.

HTC expects to see $3.2 billion in revenues and 8.5 million units shipped in the first quarter of 2011. Most of that will be led by the company’s big push into smartphones running Google’s mobile operating system.

HTC plans to release a host of 4G Android phones in 2011, including the previously announced Thunderbolt, the Inspire and the Evo Shift.

Android, which became commercially available only in 2008, has grown quickly to become the fastest-growing smartphone operating system, with sales outpacing those of Apple’s iPhone by the middle of 2010. HTC was one of the first companies to embrace Android, a bet that paid off handsomely in 2009 — and appears poised to continue doing so two years later. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, much of the buzz was around Android-based tablets and high-end smartphones from manufacturers like Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG.

We may see even more Android-running HTC handsets released than those already announced, if leaked photos from PocketNow are to be believed. Multiple pictures of unlabeled HTC phones are currently circulating the blogopshere, including one that looks similar to the company’s Desire HD model. Other pictures include a large-screen HTC Oboe lookalike, a phone currently released in China.

Reports of an HTC tablet release circulated Thursday, rumored to launch some time in March. Two more HTC tablets are rumored to follow within the first half of 2011. The first tablet, reportedly named the “Flyer” by DigiTimes, is said to launch running Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread), but will be able to upgrade to the much anticipated version 3.0, or Honeycomb.

Currently the fourth biggest smartphone maker in the world, HTC has focused on manufacturing smartphones in particular — compared to that of relatively inexpensive feature phones — since being founded in 1997. Although HTC’s highly anticipated Google-branded Nexus One left a bad taste in the mouths of many customers, the company has continued to perform well. Total 2010 revenues amounted to $9.57 billion.

Photo: HTC’s forthcoming Thunderbolt smartphone.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com

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Jan 20

Angry Birds: Coming to a Television Near You

Posted in: Games, Miscellaneous Tech, mobile, Today's Chili, video games

Angry Birds Peace Treaty

Apparently we just can’t get enough Angry Birds. The phenomenon is still going strong: the game holds top honors in the iTunes and Android app stores, has spawned everything from plush toys to a board game, and now, according to a post at Mashable, Rovio is interested in turning the game into an animated television series. 
How exactly the cute little physics game could turn into a television show with a coherent story that could run for multiple episodes without becoming a parody of itself is anyone’s guess, but if there’s anyone that could turn a simple premise into something addictive, it’s clearly Rovio. 
Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said that broadcast media is a “big focus area” for him, but there’s no indication there are networks lining up to air an Angry Birds Show. Still, there’s clearly no stopping this franchise. 
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