If you and your friends both use the Vonage app, you can now enjoy free calls and texts to each other via WiFi or 3G/4G. You can also add calling credits to call people that don't have the app. For a limited time, calls to any phone in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico are free as long as you stay under your minutes.

Source: Engadget

Vonage Launches New Mobile App Providing Free Calling and Texting to Other App Users around the World
Savings of more than 70 percent on international calls to those without the app

HOLMDEL, N.J., February 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG) announced the launch of Vonage Mobile®, the new iPhone® and Android™ app that lets users make free high-definition calls and send free texts to all users of the app, worldwide1. The app works over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G wireless data networks.

When calling those who have not yet downloaded the app, Vonage Mobile provides ultra low-cost international calling with per-minute rates that are on average 70 percent less than major mobile carriers and 30 percent less than Skype™2. Users can instantly add calling credit directly from the app through iTunes® or Android Market™ in increments of $4.99 and $9.99.

Vonage Mobile uses the phone's existing mobile number and contact list, eliminating the need for unique user names and duplicate identities for contacts. Users can instantly build a free global calling and texting network using the app's multi-invite system from their existing contacts.

"Vonage Mobile consolidates the best features of our prior applications, while adding important functionality, better value and improved ease of use," said Marc Lefar, CEO of Vonage. "It combines the best of free high-def voice and messaging along with incredible value for traditional international calls, all while using the existing mobile number and address book for unsurpassed ease of use."

In addition, calls to any phone in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico from anywhere in the world will be free for a limited time3.

Users do NOT need to be a Vonage customer to use the app. However, as an added benefit to all app users, calls to Vonage home or business lines are also free. The Vonage Mobile app can be downloaded to any iPhone or Android device for free; and it also works on the iPad®, iPod Touch® and Android™ Tablets.

For more information on Vonage Mobile, please go to iTunes, Android Market or www.vonagemobile.com.

# # #

1 Data rates may apply.

2 Based on per-minute rates to the top 50 countries called. Comparison reflects published rates of leading mobile carriers in markets representing the majority of iPhone and Android users.

3 Limited time free calling offer to the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico is for personal, non-commercial calling and excludes calls to certain geographic locations, premium and special services numbers, satellite telephony services and other call forwarding services. Not to exceed 3000 minutes per month.

iPhone and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

© 2012, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

While Microsoft has had games released on different platforms, so far, the XBox Live experience has really only been on Windows Phone 7 devices. Microsoft now states that it will be bringing "a few" of their XBox Live experiences and titles to the iPhone, iPad, and Android. There's no word yet on when this might happen, or what experiences or titles that might be.

While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.

They already have My XBox Live which brings some of the experience to the iPhone. Those of you XBox users out there, would this be enough to make you switch to the iPhone or Android instead of a Windows Phone 7?

Source: iMore

© 2012, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

We've seen these rumors before, but here's another one. Which smartphone will overtake the world by 2015? According to this study, the winner is clearly Android, but then it also shows that Windows Phone 7 will surpass the iPhone, by one-tenth of a percent. This study was done by IHS iSuppli Mobile & Wireless Communications Service.

One of the hottest new products unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show was the Lumia 900, a Windows Phone-based smartphone sporting a flashy set of features that makes it competitive with the best alternatives offered by the Android camp,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS. “This hot product represents Nokia’s first step to reclaim its market share. Combined with Nokia’s efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone ecosystem, the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in smartphone operating system market share in 2015.

Source: WPCentral

© 2012, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

Computer scientist from North Carolina State University have discovered a weakness in smartphones running Google’s Android operating system that allows attackers to secretly record phone conversations, monitor geographic location data, and access other sensitive resources without permission.

Devices sold by HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Google contain code that exposes powerful capabilities to untrusted apps. These “explicit capability leaks” bypass key security defenses built into Android that require users to clearly grant permission before an app gets access to personal information and functions such as text messaging. The code making the circumvention possible is contained in interfaces and services the device manufactures add to enhance the stock firmware supplied by Google.

The researchers wrote in a paper (PDF) scheduled to be presented at next year's Network and Distributed System Security Symposium. “We believe these results demonstrate that capability leaks constitute a tangible security weakness for many Android smartphones in the market today,” said the scientist. “Particularly, smartphones with more pre-loaded apps tend to be more likely to have explicit capability leaks.”

A diagnostic app named Woodpecker was created by the scientist and ran on eight smartphones from the four vendors. The most vulnerable was HTC's EVO 4G device, which was found to leak eight functions, including its precise geographic location finder, camera, text message service, and audio recorder. HTC's Legend came in second with six leaks. Samsung's Epic 4G contained three leaks, including the ability to wipe data and applications off the handset. Google's Nexus One and Nexus S contained one leak.

The researchers found that the manufacturer-supplied enhancements offer a way to circumvent this permissions-based model. In a video demonstration, they show how an app they designed is able to access audio-recording and SMS functions on an EVO 4G without first getting approval from the user. As a result, the app is able to turn on a recorder that collects nearby audio or phone conversations. The app is also able to send unauthorized text messages.
 

 
The researchers said both Google and Motorola have confirmed the vulnerabilities in their handsets, but that HTC and Samsung “have been really slow in responding to, if not ignoring, our reports/inquiries.”

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Android started pushing the source code for v4.0.1 (which is the version that will be shipping on the Galaxy Nexus) last night. They note that this is a large push and not to sync just yet because it would probably be corrupt until their push is complete. This means that we could start seeing AOSP ROM developers coming out with ICS soon.

Source: Google Groups via PPCG (Thanks djgallis)

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

Battle monsters with weapons and spells. This old-school role-playing game finds you joining a ragtag group of warriors attempting to stop an empire of living machines. On the way, you'll find new weapons, armor, accessories, and stat-boosting sands to increase your abilities. Start exploring...and defeating.

Source: Amazon

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

Quickoffice Pro lets you get work done on the road by allowing easy access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint wherever you take your mobile. This app also provides you with a convenient PDF viewer so you can keep your important documents with you at all times. View document footnotes and endnotes in Word. Use the text-to-speech voice input and text recital option for an alternative way to word-process your documents. Get the most out of your Android device with this award-winning productivity suite.

Product Features
- Take your work with you with this mobile Microsoft Office application
- Create, view, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on the go
- Seamlessly access Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, Huddle, SugarSync, and MobileMe
- Open and view PDF documents, including password protected and encrypted files
- Take pictures with your Android's camera and paste them neatly into documents

Source: Amazon

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

The big news just keeps on coming, first Google buys Motorola and now Samsung has officially hired the creator of CyangenMod to their ranks. It was not too long ago Samsung pronounced their support for developers by giving away free Samsung Galaxy S2 phones to CyanogenMod developers to help support further Android development on Samsung phones.  And from the looks of it, Samsung is impressed with Cyanogen's work.

Now with this comes a lot of questions to mind, like will other devices still be supported or will Cyanogen still continue developing CyanogenMod to begin with? Well fret not, according to Cyanogen's Facebook page, he has gone out to reassure his users that CM will remain his side project and will not be affiliated with his new employer.

From the looks of things, many are welcoming Samsung's support of the community. But I would like to add a possibility for something more then what it looks. Before I do, I want to make clear on my stance with Google buying out Motorola. I think that it is a positive thing and I do not think Google will use Motorola to compete with their OEMs as most of their money is made off Adsense, the profit margins on hardware is hardly worth Google endangering their bread and butter.

What does this have to do with all this? Well according to Cyanogen, his take on CyanogenMod is not that of another ROM but a fork of Android, aka another Android distribution similar to how Cent OS is to Red Hat (for those familiar with Linux). So could it possibly be that Samsung is trying to fork Android and distance itself from reliance on Google? Samsung has already attempted to stop using Google for their GPS services and swap to SkyHook only to be blocked by Google at the last minute. This sudden change caused a lot of problems for samsung's GPS in the original Samsung Galaxy S and a lot of bad press.

By putting Cyanogen on a team to fork Android, it can give a lot of power to Samsung who can then make Android work better with their hardware and enjoy the benefits iOS enjoys by having full control of both software and hardware. Samsung is already famous for adding CPU optimization to their TouchWiz framework. (not to be confused with TouchWiz Launcher)  And with this, Samsung also have better control of pushing out timely updates.

And in the future, in an unlikely event Google decides to take more control over Android, Samsung can continue development on their own.

Again, I have no proof, this is merely a speculation on my part with the limited amount of information available. What do you think?

© 2011, gTen. All rights reserved.

According to this article found at Computerworld, it looks like Motorola has been purchased by Google!! What will this mean for Windows Phone 7? Nothing good, that is for sure!! Not only does it add a powerful developing market to Android but it isn't likely we will see any Windows devices coming from Motorola either.

Motorola has been viewed as one of Microsoft's saviors in the Window Phone 7's development area and this could be a huge hit to Microsoft. With Motorola out of the loop (at least partially if not totally) Nokia will be the big developer for Windows Phone 7. Some experts are forecasting Android and iOS to be the long-term survivors while  Windows Phone, Blackberry, and HP's WebOS will fade away eventually. Before this it was optomistic Windows Phone would survive as well, but it will be an even tougher road now. (a great write-up can be found here)

Now....it is important to remember that it isn't finalized yet and Google is not looking to create a 'Google-made' device like the iPhone. They want to run Motorola as a company unto itself, incorporating Android into a lot of devices but not having one corporation take over the other. (more details here)

What do you guys think? Will this create a powerhouse Android world that will threaten even the i-world? What will become of Windows Phone? Will it survive?

Source:  Computerworld  USA Today

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

With iPhone 5 on the horizon, Google needs to do something to catch/keep our interest in Android and in the highly competitive marker of smartphones aside from new devices the best way to shake things up is a new OS!!! Google is trying just this with Ice Cream Sandwich!

I just made the leap from Froyo to Gingerbread on my phone (haven't even used Honeycomb yet) and here we are looking at a new OS rumored to come out as soon as early October to compete with the highly anticipated iPhone 5.

According to this article some of the new features/improvements of ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) are USB host support and the highly anticipated music and movie rentals. Google is rolling out their movie rental service to devices soon and it will consist of movie rentals starting at $1.99 per rental. You have 30 days to view the movie from download date and 24 hours to complete it after you start to view the movie (more information found here). The music service will be like a cloud server to download your music collection to for use on your phone.

More information will be sure to come out as we get closer to release date, but with a lot of big phones closing in on their 2 year anniversary (upgrade time) and the projected release of new devices soon, I anticipate quite the buzz for a while!!

How about you guys? What do you think the chances are of Google holding it's own against the new version of the heavy-hitting iPhone? What features would you like to see in ICS, or what features do you think it will need to compete with iPhone 5?

Sources: Phonearena   BGR   Talkandroid

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

How about an early Christmas present? We have a sneak peak of the fall lineup from Verizon, and it looks sweet!!! A couple surprises, some next gen and even a couple new players in the deck for us to pick from!

There have been rumors for a while about the new Bold and Torch from Blackberry, but a 4G???? Blackberry users will be very happy with this surprise entry, the new 4G Curve should be out in September!!

Other devices in the running are the Droid Bionic (also in September), the LG Revolution 2 and the 4G Samsung Stratosphere (Verizon's version of the Galaxy S2). Also mentioned is the LG Cosmo Touch feature phone.

If you notice, there is no mention of the iPad3 or iPhone5 which may surprise some, but personally I'm not. Apple has always been very secretive and to see it on a list like this that early would make me suspect the validity of the entire list.

Now....I know I am biased by being an Android user, but seeing the new HTC Bliss on this really has me excited. It is still in the rumor stage itself, but looks like a very good step for HTC.

What do you guys think? Is this a good selection? Anything you think should be here that isn't (you never know who is reading)? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!!

Source: Gear News at IGN

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

I am not sure how many members we have from London here, but Google is looking out for you (and hopefully a sign of things to come). The new version of Google Maps has been released and it has the London Underground and transit maps included in it!!

This may not seem like big news for members outside London, but if you stop and think about it, this could possibly set a fantastic precedent for anyone using a form of public transit anywhere! Can you imagine getting off the plane in unfamiliar territory and needing to stay a while for some reason, or needing to get to a meeting across town fast? If Google Maps keeps developing this system I could easily see bus, subway and maybe even Taxi company (probably as quick-links) routs, schedules or contact info automatically available upon launch of the app. Google Maps will detect where your at and determine the best route to get to where you set as destination and map out the schedule for you:

This release is for Android, IOS and Blackberry devices, but as an added bonus to Android users, you can install Transit Navigation (beta) which enables alerts to be sent when it is time to transfer or get off the bus or train.

I have high hopes for this to be further developed to include other countries and transportation systems, but who knows...What are your ideas or thoughts on the future of this app? Do you think there is a need for this to be released? Tell me below PPCGeeks - what are your thoughts exactly.

Sources: PhoneScoop googlemobile.blogspot Google

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

Kaos has recently posted about the new cool ability of Titanium backup to save backup files to a cloud server such as Dropbox. Read here: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/android-apps-games/145969-drop-box-titanium-backup-titanium-media-server-love.html

You need Titanium Backup,

Titanium Media Sync,

and a cloud network such as Dropbox

Now the Media Sync costs a few dollars, but other than that your good to go with only a little downloading and setup. Titanium is free (the basic version) and all apps are found in the market. Dropbox is also free, you get 2GB free but can get more by using a referral (the person who referred you gets an additional 500MG as well, so do Kaos a solid and go back to the post and use his referral (and leave a thanks as well). Oh yeah....you need to be rooted as well!!

All you need to do is install all of these on your Android device, setup storage to the cloud network in the settings and your good to go....no full or lost memory cards, files available at any computer or dropbox-enabled device and a lot less headaches!!!

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

Google has been updating a lot of their applications lately, but the one that jumped out at me first was Gmail!! If you use Gmail and have an Android phone take a look  at what I found over at PhoneScoop:

Among the positive changes is the ability to turn off the pushing of mail except for priority mail. This will help save battery life and enable quicker access to the important stuff.

You can also customize the tones of mail according to the folder they fall in, very nice for prioritizing what you need to read without even having to look.

Another really cool option is the ability to show contact images, mostly glam, but really cool, like looking at an SMS listing!!

Now....the bad....To be honest, the only bad thing I have found so far is the fact that third-party notification apps won't work now.  So you can't have an unread count on the main screen with apps like SMS Unread Count. Minor I know, but if you have a good theme going on this may be a bit of a downer for you!

Gmail users....what do you think? Will this help save precious battery life on your phone or just add to the cool look when showing off to friends?

Sources:  Phone Scoop  Google Mobile Help  Android Market

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

Have you ever wanted to post an article your reading from a magazine to Facebook but can't find it online? Ever wanted to buy tickets to that concert you saw a poster for on the street....IMMEDIATELY?!?! Then read on my friend.....

Layar is for you then....It is an "Augmented Reality Browser" This is a very cool system of having virtual images saved in the Layar database for use when your phone's camera scans images (news articles, buildings, posters, store products.....) in the 'real-world' that match the tags created as cues for the virtual image to be used.  A 3-D 'layer' will pop onto your screen offering you certain choices (such as that concert poster being overlayed with an option to purchase tickets) or information that is associated with what your looking at on your screen.

The Android beta should be out soon, but tell me that after reading a little and watching the video that this will make for a  fantastic tool on our devices (of any OS)!!

Doesn't that look useful (and fun)? There is a lot more information on the Layar site, but check out my sources as well, the more I see the more I am looking forward to that beta!! What do you think? Will it catch on or become a function of our devices that is really cool but impractical 99% of the time?

Sources: Layar  Pitchengine  Phonearena

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

So Today we find that Android has a new fiend in the world. This one will record your calls and listen to your fantasy baseball talk; this should be nothing new for Android users - a Trojan that is - we have had several the past 6 months... With users travelling the back area of the world of Android Markets could easily catch this.

It has not been reported in the wild yet, and may not max your credit cards out but significant others, and corporate users might want to use this on suspicious people. So basically keep your eyes and ears open on what you download and what it does.

So PPCGeeks, keep yourself aware, watch what you do and if you install risky programs be prepared for the costs. What do you all think on these mobile phone Trojans, and malware? Tell me below!

Source: Engadget

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

According to a report released by Strategy Analytics  tablet sales have taken a 331% increase from the second quarter of 2010 to the second quarter of 2011, pretty good numbers! The powerhouse iPad went from a 94% to 61% in the same time-frame, Android is the next leading OS leaping from 3 to 30%.

The chart Strategy Analytics shows it best:

RIM and Microsoft has made a slight increase as well, accounting for another 8%.  This all adds up to a real eye-opener for Apple seeing as Android is taking a large jump in sales and continue to come out with 'bigger and better' devices every day!

An interesting little interview mentioned over at droid life talkes about the NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's opinion that Android will overtake iPad eventually. He notes the use of NVDIA's Quad-core chips and the interest in the new  Kal-el quad-core processor that he firmly believes will take Android tablets to the next level. Here is a quote from that interview:

“The Android phone took only two and a half years to achieve the momentum that we’re talking about. I would expect the same thing on Honeycomb tablets,” Huang told the Reuters Technology Summit in New York on Monday

We can see the changes / improvements / break-throughs Android makes almost daily with all the new devices coming out, open-source development and news releases seemingly hourly some days, so we know Google is making great strides. The wild card (as always it seems) is Apple...they have always been secretive and usually only releasing minor or needed tweaks/repairs until a major release blows the market away.

What do you think? It won't be easy, nay take years and I am sure we will see a lot of broken transistors and cracked screens along the way, but does android have what it takes to overcome the iPad? I wouldn't want to see either OS go down in flames, they both have their strong points, but it makes for a fun race that works out in our favor with competitors usually releasing better devices at lower prices.....Win-Win for us!!!

Sources: Droid-Life Sys-con TechRepublic

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

WOOONELLY! Looks like the Cell Phone Gods have blessed Sprint customers! This document says it was last updated on July 22nd, so if that is true then this should give all you Sprint (and not Sprint) customers something to look forward too! It is always changing so please take this with a grain of salt but it looks to be a lot of phones! We are going to list them all out for you in a lovely bullet list.... Why? Because I want to and I like to break it all down for you!

• Samsung D600: Also known as the Conquer 4G, it's currently slated to arrive August 21st.

• BlackBerry Bold 3: Also known as the Bold 9900/9930.
• Kyocera KYC5120: No word yet on exactly what this handset may be, but the fact that it's due to replace the aging Samsung Intercept suggests that the 5120 is an Android phone of some kind. May be due on September 9th, which is a couple of days earlier than the previously-leaked September 11th launch. It's worth mentioning that September 11th is a Sunday, which is the day of the week that Sprint normally launches phones on
• BlackBerry Curve 4: We've known this handset as the Curve 9350 and Apollo in the past. Also reportedly due to hit Sprint on September 9th.
• Motorola XT603: Mysterious device that may hit Sprint on October 2nd
• Motorola MB855: Also goes by the name Photon 4G, coming July 31st.
• Sprint M650: Said to be the Huawei M650, another smartphone that we know little about as of now. Reportedly coming on October 30th.
• ZTE V55 tablet: Sounds like a tablet, no? Not much is known about the device, but it could be launching in the first quarter of next year.

But WAIT! That's not all for the next Quarter we get word that Sprint is going ot be launching their NEW Direct Connect push to talk network! This is to replace the old and dieing iDEN network set to be killed off in 2013!  Their Direct Connect is Sprints vision to grow PPT to 2.7 Million miles up from the 908,370 square miles iDEN covers now. The first two handsets, the Kyocera DuraMax and DuraCore, will feature a rugged construction and will be out later this year along with a Motorola-made smartphone. Sprints Official News Brief is below - enjoy the reading!

So with all this great Sprint love how does this make you feel??  Yea well for me I feel good knowing the Now Network is stepping up and going to release an onslaught of devices, even if it is Blackberrys, and Android (now WP7 love)... But you know they start somewhere and finish with the best plans, and now phones! Tell me what you think PPCG Sprint Lovers!

Source: Phonedog

Sprint Prepares for 4Q Launch of Sprint Direct Connect with Feature-Rich, CDMA Handsets

First phones come packed with broadband capabilities and next-generation functionality; New phones will operate on push-to-talk footprint that's triple the size of Sprint's current one

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 25, 2011 - Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the initial phones it plans to deploy in the fourth quarter when the company launches its next-generation, push-to-talk service powered by Sprint's broadband CDMA network. The new service – Sprint® Direct Connect – will deliver higher bandwidth capacity to keep up with customers' data demands and is expected to extend the company's push-to-talk coverage to almost triple the square miles of the company's current push-to-talk offering.

The Sprint Direct Connect phones to be introduced this fall will be the Kyocera DuraCore and the Kyocera DuraMax. As previously announced, a third handset -- a Motorola smartphone -- will be described closer to the launch of Sprint Direct Connect. The devices will feature most of the capabilities available on current Sprint push-to-talk phones plus next-generation, push-to-talk applications and functionality. Specific availability dates and pricing for each device will be released later.

"Sprint is thrilled to launch Sprint Direct Connect with a strong starting lineup of phones," said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. "These devices represent the new gold standard in push-to-talk technology."

Devices in 2011

Kyocera DuraMax brings customers advanced technology wrapped in a rugged exterior with a clamshell form factor. It offers military-grade durability, including water resistance when submerged up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. DuraMax comes with an integrated 3.2-megapixel camera and camcorder. The 32GB expandable microSD memory card slot provides the storage capacity required to manage large files on-the-go. Additional key features include:

* 2.0-inch QVGA TFT main display
* Military standard 810G specifications for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain and immersion
* Encased in rubber, non-slip Dura-Grip® material for sure hold and extra durability
* Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
* 2.5mm stereo headphone jack (supports PTT headsets)
* 1GB microSD memory card
* Large-font menu option
* GPS navigation enabled
* Supports SMS and MMS messaging and third-party data applications

Kyocera DuraCore is an affordable, high-impact solution for a mobile workforce that relies on push-to-talk. Additional features of this rugged, clamshell-style phone:

* Military standard 810G specifications for dust, shock and vibration
* Encased in rubber, non-slip Dura-Grip material for sure hold and extra durability
* Bi-directional speakerphone
* Bluetooth wireless technology
* 2.5mm mono headphone jack (supports PTT headsets)
* Large-font menu option
* GPS navigation enabled
* Supports SMS and MMS messaging and third-party data applications

In addition to Direct Connect® and group calling options, the devices are expected to enable Land Mobile Radio (LMR) interoperability, simultaneous data and push to talk, and availability notification. In early 2012, Sprint Direct Connect will offer additional capabilities, including international push-to-talk.

Sprint continues to involve developers in the creation of new applications through its Sprint Gets Rugged application developers program. The program provides information, support and tools needed for developers to port applications to Sprint Direct Connect devices and to create innovative applications.

Sprint Gets Rugged application developer program also will be featured at the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, Nov. 2-4, in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2011.

More information on the Sprint Gets Rugged application developers program can be found at http://developer.sprint.com/SprintGetsRugged.

Better Coverage and Capacity

Sprint Direct Connect marks a tangible initial benefit of Network Vision, Sprint's blueprint to deploy a cost-effective and innovative network. Announced in December, Network Vision is expected to consolidate multiple network technologies into one seamless network, resulting in enhanced coverage, quality and speed; better network flexibility; reduced operating costs; and improved environmental sustainability. The plan includes a complete upgrade of Sprint's wireless networks accompanied by changes in device chipsets and network infrastructure.

The expected benefits of Network Vision to Sprint's push-to-talk customers will be wide-ranging:

* Push-to-talk coverage footprint is planned to increase to nearly 2.7 million square miles and is expected to cover a population of 309 million (with the addition of 1xRTT and roaming coverage) – an increase from the iDEN network's 908,370 square miles covering a population 278 million.
* In-building coverage is expected to improve significantly through investment in the most advanced CDMA technology and radio equipment.
* Voice and data capacity is expected to increase significantly as Sprint will be able to fully leverage its industry leading spectrum holdings in 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and – through its relationship with Clearwire – 2.5GHz.

"Our customers are asking for broadband push-to-talk now," said Paget Alves, president-Sprint Business. "We've seen steadily increasing demand for faster data speeds, better and broader coverage, and more applications on push-to-talk devices. Sprint Direct Connect is designed to solve for all three and is expected to come with sub-second push-to-talk call setup time initially in Sprint CDMA Rev. A (3G) coverage areas. Sub-second call setup is expected to expand across the United States with the implementation of Network Vision."

During the nationwide implementation of Network Vision, Sprint expects to continue operating the iDEN network at current best-ever performance levels. As the customer base shifts to more broadband-centric push-to-talk applications on the CDMA network and Sprint launches Sprint Direct Connect, iDEN cell sites are expected to be phased out in 2013. Sprint account executives will work with customers to provide a smooth transition with personalized upgrade assistance. Sprint also plans to offer current Nextel Direct Connect customers attractive device pricing to help transition to Sprint Direct Connect.

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

If you're an At&t Android user, today is a happy day for you. They have announced that all of their postpaid Android users will get an upgrade to Gingerbread sometime this year. The Motorola Atrix 4G is first on the list, getting their update within the next few weeks. The HTC Inspire 4G will get their's sometime next month.

One thing I found interesting is that they listed the Samsung Captivate 4G. I was a previous Captivate owner, and it does not have HSPA+ (At&t's 4G). This is also the first time I've seen them call it a 4G phone. I believe it did have HSDPA and HSUPA for faster uploads, but not the +.

Source: PhoneDog

AT&T Customers to Enjoy Gingerbread
Android 2.3 Debuted in the AT&T Portfolio with HTC Status, All Post-paid Android Smartphones Released in 2011 Planned to Receive 2.3 Upgrade

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

Verizon Wireless adds another handset to its' very popular Droid line this Thursday with the official announcement of the Droid 3. The Motorola Droid 3 is available online now and in stores on July 14 for $199 with a 2-year contract or $459 with no contract. Existing Verizon customers can upgrade their phone and keep their current unlimited data plan, but new customers must choose from three tiered data plans ranging in capacity from 2 GB to 10 GB per month.

The new Droid is a welcome refresh over its predecessors, with a faster processor and support for global voice and data networks. Motorola is billing the Droid 3 as "the world's thinnest full qwerty smartphone." Sounds familiar from the days of the Razr or even more appropriately, the Motorola Q.

Anyhow, although it isn't LTE capable, the new "superphone" boasts some pretty impressive specs. With the new and improved display, dual-core processor, and GSM support for those that need it, the Droid 3 looks to be a very worthy upgrade over its' predecessor, the Droid 2. The addition of a dedicated number row on the keyboard is also a nice feature to round out the list of improvements.

Motorola Droid 3 main specs:

• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 4-inch display, 960x540 (qHD) resolution
• Android 2.3 (GOOG) (Gingerbread) operating system
• 8 megapixel rear camera with 8x zoom, LED flash, autofocus, 1080p (30 fps) video capture
• Front-facing camera for video chat
• 16 GB of internal storage, microSD expansion slot supporting 32 GB additional storage
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• GSM/HSPA support in up to 200 countries

Motorola is referring to the Droid 3 as "enterprise ready." The new device and SD card feature encryption, complex password support, remote data wipe of device and SD card. The Droid 3 also comes equipped with QuickOffice for editing documents on the run, as well as Citrix GoToMeeting for Android.

One downside so far, is it seems Motorola skipped unlocking the bootloader on this device.
Bad Motorola, or was this verizon's choice? Maybe there will be a change of heart, before the Devs beat them to it.
Will you be picking up one of these new Droids from Moto, or are you still waiting for the infamous Bionic?
Where do you see this device fitting into the current line of handsets today?
Does no LTE, make it less appealing?

source: verizon

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