If you’re thinking about buying a smartphone from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless on a new 2-year contract just so you can pay the early termination fee (ETF) and sell the extra handset for a profit on eBay or Craigslist, you had better get on it. Starting November 15, Verizon Wireless will be bumping up their ETF for “advanced devices” to a whopping $350. On the upside, Verizon will drop the ETF by $10 for every month a customer stays on their contract.
It’s not clear what “advanced devices” means, but it’s a good bet that the term covers higher-end hardware, like smartphones. The decision to increase the fee isn’t going to go over well with a lot of people, especially those that want to keep the option of dropping VZW for a reasonable ETF. But, it does make sense. All carriers, Verizon Wireless included, provide deep discounts on smartphones by subsidizing the cost of the handset. The idea is to make back the subsidies with long-term contracts and data plans. A higher ETF helps ensure that a customer will honor their contract, and if they decide to leave, the ETF will help the carrier make back its subsidy costs.
T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) is making big moves in the Android space. When it comes to Android phones, T-Mobile offers more than any other carrier. And, with the Samsung Behold 2 scheduled to be unveiled next week, T-Mobile’s Android lineup is going to become that much more formidable. So, to make the Android experience even better for its customers, T-Mobile will soon launch carrier billing for the Android Market. T-Mobile USA CTO Cole Brodman confirmed the carrier billing rollout today at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco, adding that the carrier will soon add a custom “T-Mobile Channel” to the Android Market.
By the end of the month, T-Mobile customers with Android phones can download premium Android apps from the Android Market and have the cost of the apps charged directly to their monthly phone bill. The T-Mobile Channel will offer customers customized content for their Android phone.
Carrier billing is a convenient way to pay for Android apps, but will it be enough to sway customers away from Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid? T-Mobile’s upcoming Samsung Behold II might have something to say about that…
Rogers has announced holiday availability of the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N86 today, and is using the occasion to take a few potshots at the Bell and telus HSPA launches. Rogers (NYSE: RCI) is claiming their “unparalleled HSPA smartphone lineup underscores Rogers’ network superiority”, and are also milking the LG Eve and xperia X1 for all they’re worth.The N86 is an exceptionally good choice for anyone who’s looking for a mix of simple phone, an outstanding camera, and potential for advanced smartphone functions. The $99.99 on contract price point is also very attractive, but even still, it’s going to be hard to combat the hype Bell and telus (NYSE: TU) are currently commanding. It’s a good thing for Rogers that a holiday launch for wind mobile is looking grim, or they would have even more competition on their hands. If you’re interested in picking up the N86 when it becomes available, be sure to check out our review first, and keep an eye on the Rogers online store.
Again I must emphasize how I like covering small carriers. This time the news item deals with U.S. Cellular which will be donating $1 million to schools through its “Calling All Communities” campaign.
The carrier will award $100,000 to 10 schools, big or small. From November 13, 2009, through January 15, 2010, individuals 18 years or older can visit any U.S. Cellular store to get a code to vote online for their school. There is no purchase necessary, nor you have to be a U.S. Cellular customer to vote. The 10 schools with the most votes will receive $100,000 to use however they choose.
Nice move and we applaud U.S. Cellular for the campaign, which last year attracted 120,000 votes spread across 6,500 schools. Winners represented public and private schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, Oklahoma, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Nebraska and Iowa.
In addition to visiting a local U.S. Cellular store, you can also check out a dedicated Facebook page and see some photos and videos from this year’s campaign.
Peek, makers of the email-only wireless device that bears its namesake, has just launched a spin-off for Twitter fans. Dubbed TwitterPeek, the new device from Peek features an LCD display, QWERTY keyboard and wireless data connection that should give hardcore Twitter users dedicated access (no email, no web, no SMS) to their favorite micro-blogging social network. For $99, Peek will give you a TwitterPeek device with unlimited use of Peeks’ service for six months. After that, you need to pay Peek $7.95 for each month of service. You can also plunk down $199 for a TwitterPeek and unlimited Peek service for life.
Of course, anyone with a smartphone and data plan can access Twitter from their handset. Even featurephones can get busy with Twitter through the mobile website and SMS text message notifications. Are you willing to pony up a C-note and $8 a month to keep tabs on the Twitter-sphere? Pick one up for $99 or $199 at Amazon.com or TwitterPeek.com.
Do you develop mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or webOS? Well, we want to hear from you! We’ve partnered up with “Under The Radar” to find cool mobile apps that will blow our minds. We’re asking any and all mobile app developers to submit their app for the “FAST PITCH” mobile app talent search, where your app will vie for a chance to be showcased in front of an audience of global dealmakers and start-ups. Even if we don’t pick your app for the talent search, you’ll get some serious recognition for your app (and possibly prizes, like handsets).
Interested? Here’s what you need to know:
You must be able to attend Under the Radar (in Mountain View on Nov 19)
If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll get a free conference pass
Your app has to be live and available for download
We welcome any and all apps for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, etc
Your app must be unique and new – no tip calculators or sudoku apps, please
You must be able to pitch your app in 2 min (and 4 slides) on stage
We’re going to make it simple for you to submit your app for consideration in the “Under The Radar” FAST PITCH mobile app talent search. Interested mobile devs need only leave a comment or tweet @IntoMobile with a quick one-liner pitch for your mobile app – Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so choose accordingly. Please make sure to include a link to your app’s download page (or homepage) and your Twitter handle with your submission.
Your app will be judged for its “uniqueness” and the all important “awesomeness” metric. We’ll be accepting mobile app submissions through Friday, Nov. 6 Monday, Nov. 9 (deadline extended). The 6 lucky finalists will be contacted directly through email and/or Twitter.
The iPhone AppStore is a wonderful place filled with tens of thousands of really nifty and useful iPhone apps. It’s also cluttered with iPhone apps that make fart noises and calculate tips for your waitress. How is anyone supposed to find their way around this crowded mess? With an iPhone app specifically made to pull app recommendations from your friends, of course. Enter Chorus for iPhone. [iTunes link]
Chorus is a free iPhone app that looks and works a lot like the AppStore you already have on your iPhone. But, instead of spamming you with thousands of useless apps and hundreds of useful apps you really couldn’t care less about, Chorus finds what your network of friends are using and suggests apps that it thinks you might like. The app is powered by envIO Networks’ Social Genome technology, which takes into account how you interact with your friends and infers how much credibility you’re likely to give your friends for various app categories. And, that’s where the app shines.
You don’t have to click through dozens and dozens of app reviews, tediously indicating which apps you like and which apps you think suck. Chorus learns from your interactions with your friends and picks up on your app preferences automatically. The app also features expert app recommendations and reviews from its AppMavens service as well as reviews from bloggers like us – so even if your friends don’t give you good app suggestions, at least you can look to the experts!
We’re going to let the screenshots and demo video show you how the app works in more detail:
Chorus is free, and once its user-base hit critical mass, it’ll revolutionize the way you discover iPhone apps. Give it a download here.
The Motorola CLIQ is hailed as Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s first stab at reclaiming some of their lost mobile phone market share, and it just might be able to live up to expectations. Motorola and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) announced the CLIQ a little over a month ago, showing off the Android phone’s innovative MOTOBLUR interface and its ability to magically update its homescreen widgets with information from your social networks and news feeds. Today, T-Mobile has gone all official with the Motorola CLIQ in the US. No more pre-order, folks – the CLIQ is live!
T-Mobile’s CLIQ has the distinction of being Motorola’s first comeback handset as well as the company’s first Android phone to hit market. The CLIQ is decidedly more curvy than its evil brother, the Motorola DROID, but it packs a cutesy-punch. The CLIQ sports a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS, WiFi, 3G data, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot. But, the CLIQ’s highlight feature is its MOTOBLUR UI. Motorola created its custom MOTOBLUR Android UI to work with special MOTOBLUR servers to constantly monitor your social networks and news feeds. When something new happens or someone posts an interesting (sometimes not so interesting) tidbit to their profile, MOTOBLUR pushes that information to one of your homescreen widgets. Social butterflies, take note, MOTOBLUR will help you stay connected!
And, to help celebrate the Motorola CLIQ’s launch, Motorola and T-Mobile have announced a contest for college students. The college to sign-up the most Facebook fans to T-Mobile’s fan page will win a free campus concert by Weezer, and up to $25,000 for their school. Even better, you don’t even have to buy a CLIQ to enter the contest! Find out more here.
Fans of Motorola’s curvy Android phone can walk into any T-Mobile USA retail store or go online to nab their very own Motorola CLIQ for $199.99 with new 2-year contract and mail-in rebate. The CLIQ comes in your choice of White or Titanium color schemes.
8.1-megapixel auto-focus camera with an array of camera technologies including touch focus, face recognition, smile detection, image and video stabilizer, geo-tagging. Where’s flash???
Android 1.6 Donut – I’m guessing it will be upgradable to 2.0 Eclair
Size: 119×63x13 mm, weight: 135 grams
Colors: Sensuous Black and Luster White
In a nutshell, pretty impressive first Android phone from Sony Ericsson.
As for the mentioned UX platform, it is developed not for the X10, only, but for the whole series which will be launched in the first half of 2010. Included with UX are two signature apps Timescape and Mediascape, which allow users to manage their social networking activities (Timescape), and browse all the media, both on the phone and on the Internet (Mediascape).
And that’s almost it. Plus we have a video to share which Sony Ericsson kindly uploaded to YouTube. It follows after the jump. Enjoy!
The Motorola CLIQ is hailed as Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s first stab at reclaiming some of their lost mobile phone market share, and it just might be able to live up to expectations. Motorola and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) announced the CLIQ a little over a month ago, showing off the Android phone’s innovative MOTOBLUR interface and its ability to magically update its homescreen widgets with information from your social networks and news feeds. Today, T-Mobile has gone all official with the Motorola CLIQ in the US. No more pre-order, folks – the CLIQ is live!
T-Mobile’s CLIQ has the distinction of being Motorola’s first comeback handset as well as the company’s first Android phone to hit market. The CLIQ is decidedly more curvy than its evil brother, the Motorola DROID, but it packs a cutesy-punch. The CLIQ sports a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS, WiFi, 3G data, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot. But, the CLIQ’s highlight feature is its MOTOBLUR UI. Motorola created its custom MOTOBLUR Android UI to work with special MOTOBLUR servers to constantly monitor your social networks and news feeds. When something new happens or someone posts an interesting (sometimes not so interesting) tidbit to their profile, MOTOBLUR pushes that information to one of your homescreen widgets. Social butterflies, take note, MOTOBLUR will help you stay connected!
And, to help celebrate the Motorola CLIQ’s launch, Motorola and T-Mobile have announced a contest for college students. The college to sign-up the most Facebook fans to T-Mobile’s fan page will win a free campus concert by Weezer, and up to $25,000 for their school. Even better, you don’t even have to buy a CLIQ to enter the contest! Find out more here.
Fans of Motorola’s curvy Android phone can walk into any T-Mobile USA retail store or go online to nab their very own Motorola CLIQ for $199.99 with new 2-year contract and mail-in rebate. The CLIQ comes in your choice of White or Titanium color schemes.
If you’re thinking about buying a smartphone from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless on a new 2-year contract just so you can pay the early termination fee (ETF) and sell the extra handset for a profit on eBay or Craigslist, you had better get on it. Starting November 15, Verizon Wireless will be bumping up their ETF for “advanced devices” to a whopping $350. On the upside, Verizon will drop the ETF by $10 for every month a customer stays on their contract.
T-Mobile (
Rogers has announced holiday availability of the Nokia (
Do you develop mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or webOS? Well, we want to hear from you! We’ve partnered up with “
