#1 Android (Google Inc.) — 104.8 million units, 68.1 percent share (46.9 percent a year earlier)

#2 iOS (Apple Inc.’s iPhone) — 26.0 million units, 16.9 percent share (18.8 percent a year earlier)

#3 BlackBerry (Research in Motion Ltd.) — 7.4 million units, 4.8 percent share (11.5 percent a year earlier)

#4 Symbian (mostly used by Nokia Corp.) — 6.8 million units, 4.4 percent share (16.9 percent a year earlier)

#5 Windows (Microsoft Corp.) — 5.4 million units, 3.5 percent share (2.3 percent a year earlier)

#6 Linux — 3.5 million units, 2.3 percent share (3.0 percent a year earlier)

#7+ Others — 0.1 million units, 0.1 percent share (0.5 percent a year earlier)

The figures are a great reminder not only of the most popular devices but they let us keep up with what operating system is being used the most or the least. These are all important factors when it comes to knowing where the current operating systems stand as well as the development of newer technology. The figures show the developers of each operating system and device that they are either doing great, good or have more hard work to do. They can do the math! For you and I this means that we get to, as we always have, learn more with each new device and operating system while having fun at the same time. Surely these numbers come as no surprise to you, right? Let us know what you think!

Source: ABC / HTCPedia

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

]]> https://www.ppcgeeks.com/2011/08/04/verizon-fall-roadmap-sneak-peak-anyone/feed/ 8 https://www.ppcgeeks.com/2011/08/04/google-maps-now-with-london-transit-maps/ Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:50:27 +0000 http://www.ppcgeeks.com/?p=24093 Google Maps has been released and it has the London Underground and transit maps included in it!! ]]>
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

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.

RIM has appeared in the news quite a bit lately. Well today, some new photos of the BlackBerry Monza, or Monaco as it’s known for now, have showed up online in a Greek Blackberry forum. With the promise of some hands on video coming soon, this is the most activity we have seen from the handset since the device simulator was leaked not too long ago and the Sprint inventory image that appeared at the end of June.

These new images don’t really show us anything new about this device, but they do hint that there is recent activity surrounding the device. The BlackBerry Monza will most likely run BlackBerry OS 7 and will have a row of physical buttons under its assumed 3.7-inch display, similar to Android and WP7 devices. Aside from that, rumors have said the device will be powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm chipset. So although it may not be the fastest smartphone on the market, it should be no slouch.

Here are the new images:

Both Monza and Monaco are codenames that signify different carriers the phone will land on. From what we’ve heard and seen so far, Verizon Wireless will get the Monaco while the BlackBerry Monza is said to be the global GSM version.

The Monza/Monaco will have a steep challenge of refreshing RIM’s touchscreen slate smartphone lineup, which some might see as tainted after the whole Storm series. The Monza looks like it will at least be able to somewhat match up with the competition as far as specs are concerned, but OS 7 will still be more or less the same experience as we’ve been seeing on Blackberry devices for the last few years now. If you are looking to get one of these and are expecting a giant change in user experience then you may want to hold out until next year when RIM brings us dual core devices that can handle the QNX operating system found on the PlayBook tablet.

Do you think this device has potential in today’s market?
Is this a viable option for corporate users mostly, or do you think that Blackberry as a business man’s device is a thing of the past?
Will this be enough to keep RIM going, until they implement OS7 next year?
Anyone out there waiting on this handset to arrive? (It’s just us geeks here, you can be honest.)

source: greekberry (Google translated)

A recent interview with Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Marni Walden provides some information on what the future holds for BlackBerry devices at Verizon Wireless. This interview confirms the upcoming arrival of three new RIM devices with the carrier later in the year.

For a while it seemed Big Red was relying heavily on RIM for it’s Blackberry devices, especially with the beginning of the Blackberry “Touch” and “Storm” series. However, since then things have gone quiet on the Blackberry front with the carrier, as they moved their focus almost entirely toward Android and the iPhone. But with this latest news, it seems they may be rekindling their partnership a bit.

The BGR interviewed Verizon Wireless CMO Marni Walden about these new devices and what she had to say was quite interesting. Much of their discussion was focused on 4G, Android, iPhone, and Windows 7,however they did eventually make their way into discussing Blackberry devices coming this year. Marni pretty well confirmed the launch of 3 new Blackberry devices this year.

Walden said, “RIM is still very, very important in the enterprise space. It does resonate in some of the consumer space as well, particularly with BBM. We’ll have three devices this year that we will bring to market with RIM. We’ll continue our partnership and it’ll be important for now going forward.”

Will one of them be a 4G LTE PlayBook?
Is there a CDMA Torch 2 coming to VZW?
The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is likely to be one of them.
What are your thoughts on the other two?
Hit up the full interview at BGR and let us know what you think.

source: BGR

The moment so many Blackberry users have been waiting for has finally arrived. Well, not exactly. The announcement is here, but youll still have to wait a few more months for the devices to hit your local carriers.

RIM has officially announced the new Blackberry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, which feature the traditional front facing keyboard, touchscreen, 1.2 Ghz processor, and OS 7.

Pricing and availability to be released at a later date.

Press Release

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones

New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® BoldTM smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.

“The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience.”

Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design

Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry’s best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand.

Performance-Driven

These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid GraphicsTM touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.
The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that’s responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye- popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals.

The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks.

NFC

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster).

Augmented Reality

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone’s camera viewfinder.

HD Video

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software.

BlackBerry 7

The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice- activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video.

Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® BalanceTM, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all “premium” features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer.

Availability

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Specifications

• 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g
• 2.8″ capacitive touch screen display – VGA (640×480), 287 dpi resolution
• Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad
• 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM
• 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards
• NFC technology
• 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording
• Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor
• Built-in GPS / aGPS
• Dual-Band Wi-Fi® – 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz
• Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support
• Wireless Network support:
  • 9900:Tri-BandHSPA+,Quad-BandGSM/EDGE
  • 9930:Dual-BandCDMA/EV-DORev.A, Dual-BandHSPA+,Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
• 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery
• BlackBerry 7 OS

Credit: CrackBerry

Recently the Investors notated shares of Research In Motion Ltd. this past Friday and the numbers do not look too good. Several people are now worried that even though Blackberry plans to release more new devices, will it stop their declining sales in the U.S. or will the changes help the company grow again?

The shares were down $7.94, or 14%, to $48.65 on the Nasdaq Stock Market as of last Friday. Not only are RIM executives worried about the decline in the U.S., they are also seeing declines in Latin America as well as other international areas.

RIM’s latest launches, the Blackberry Torch and the long awaited Blackberry Playbook weren’t as successful as RIM had hoped for. RIM seems to be struggling with keeping up with consumer preferences, especially since the iPhone and several successful Android phones. RIM is said to have reached out to app developers and made several recent acquisitions of software companies to address shortcomings and make the changes needed. Several consumers and RIM followers have begun to question whether RIM is doing all they can or not. With the shares on a consistent decline, it doesn’t seem like so or maybe they aren’t trying hard enough.

So what does the future hold for RIM? We aren’t sure but we do know that next week they are said to be releasing a brand new BlackBerry Bold at an annual conference that will be held in Orlando, Fla. Some also expect several new touch-screen BlackBerrys and new versions of the Playbook in coming months. The best part, Blackberry 7.0 is also coming soon and it will include an enhanced Web browser, new smooth and fluid touch interface and improved graphics for gaming and other cool features. Are you excited?

What do you think about the current situation? Is it too late for RIM to come back? Do you think the future with the new devices and changes will be good? Let us know if you care to comment. Leave your comments in the box below.

Source: WSJ

Most of us have heard different rumors and positive/negative descriptions of the Blackberry Playbook lately. Amongst these reports, RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky said that the first day of PlayBook sales were indeed successful. He mentioned the sales likely exceeded analysts’ expectations stating that RIM may have moved about 50,000 PlayBook tablets on launch day alone, including pre-order sales.

The analyst and his team did heavy research to come up with the estimated number of around 50,000 sold at launch day. Believe it or not, most of the stores called actually sold out of the Playbook and some are still unable to stock their shelves. Best buy alone holds stock at 180 additional locations in 10 major U.S. cities. They have the 16GB PlayBook listed as unavailable at 13% of stores, while the 32GB model is listed as unavailable at 87% of stores and the 64GB model is listed as unavailable at 91% of the locations viewed.

Abramsky also noted that the PlayBook may have outperformed first-day sales of Motorola’s XOOM and even Samsung’s popular Galaxy Tab. He also believes that RIM is on track to sell 500,000 PlayBook tablets in its first quarter of availability. Does this surprise you or is it what you expected? Let us know what you think.

Several users who purchased one have said great things about it. They love how different the UI is, how fast and smooth it runs as well as how easy it is to hold. Others, maybe those who haven’t even played with one, have negative things to say about it. Did you get one for yourself? We want to know your opinions. Leave your comments in the box below.

Source: BGR

Sprint recently announced a new music service available for Android smartphones and most Blackberry devices as well. The name of this new music service is Sprint Music Plus which is powered by RealNetworks. This music service allows users to purchase DRM-free, MP3 music tracks and ringtones starting at just $0.69.

Look in the Sprint Zone app to find this new music service on your Android smartphone or for a Blackberry check out Sprint Music Plus via Sprint Mobile Web. Users will have the ability to bundle ringtones, ringback tones, and full music tracks into one purchase for additional savings. This seems like a great deal. Each purchase you make will be added to your bill so no hassle of entering a credit card number. That’s even better!

Take a look at the press release from this morning below:

Rock Out No Matter Where You Go – New Sprint Music Plus Application Provides Access to Full Music Tracks, Ringtones, Ringback Tones and More on Sprint Phones

Sprint Music Plus is available for Android powered Sprint smartphones from the Sprint Zone app and can be found on the home screen of BlackBerry® and Java Feature Phones launched after May 2010. Devices introduced before May 2010 will have access to ringtones and ringback tones from Sprint Music Plus via Sprint Mobile Web (WAP). For more information and to download the application, visit http://sprint.us/smp on your Sprint phone.

What do you think? Is this new music service worth it to you? Do you feel like you are getting a great deal or is it no different from what you currently pay? Let us know your thoughts only after checking it out for yourself.

Source: BGR

As times change, so does how we listen to music, especially portable music. From cassettes we went to CDs, then even the MiniDisc (anyone remember those things?), then to mp3 players. Now with smartphones becoming more mainstream for the casual user, streaming internet radio is becoming more popular. Right now, two of the most popular services are probably Slacker Radio and Pandora. In this editorial, we will compare both services, and you will get the input of 2 people from the site, myself (mindfrost82), and Courtney1985.

I’ll give you a little background information first. I currently use Slacker and actually pay for their Plus service (which I’ll explain more later). I’ve paid for their service for almost a year now. Back when I had Windows Mobile a couple years ago, I tried both Slacker and Pandora, but I haven’t really used Pandora in a while. Courtney only really used Slacker back when she had a Blackberry and has used Pandora over the past 6 months.

There also used to be a free service called Last.FM. The service is still around, but they recently forced people to buy a subscription for mobile listening. The nice thing with Last.FM was that it featured a “Scrobble” service, which meant that if you listened to mp3s on your mobile device, Last.FM would automatically track those songs and send them to their servers and tag them as favorites for you. I believe this is the only service that offered that feature. Since they’re no longer offering a free mobile plan, we won’t really be comparing them in this article.

First I’ll talk about Slacker. Slacker supports just about every mobile device you can think of. Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, WebOS, and even have their own portable player, the G2. Its also integrated into some Sony devices.

For free, Slacker will play some ads between your songs. You’re also limited to 6 skips per hour. You can listen for unlimited hours though. While you can “Like” as many artists as you want, you’re limited to the number of songs you can request/like if you create a custom station. You’re also limited in your “Fine Tuning” options.

For their Plus service, you pay $4.99/month or $47.88/year. You get no ads, unlimited skipping, full song lyrics, unlimited song requests/likes, and mobile station caching. For me, the mobile station caching is definitely worth the money if you listen to it a lot. What this does is gives you the ability to have your phone sync and download up to 25 stations to your memory card/storage so that you can listen to them without being connected to the internet. This feature is only available on certain devices (I think iOS, Android, and Blackberry). I have an iPod that I use in my truck, so unless I use wireless tether with my phone, it doesn’t have internet access unless I’m around WiFi. With the station caching, I can have it download playlists overnight and use it in my truck without the internet. This also helps save battery life and bandwidth.

For the desktop, you can listen to it through their website, or there is a Windows app you can download, which is just a fancy wraparound for the website, but it works. I don’t believe its officially supported, but I’ve been using it for a week so far without any issues.

As far as music selection goes, I haven’t really had any problems finding songs I like. Some new songs haven’t been on there, but that’s because they’re not even out on CD yet. Their track lists go pretty deep for me. If you listen to a pre-programmed station, they tend to play more mainstream songs, but you can also customize your own station. You can do this with a free basic subscription, but you’ll be able to fine tune it more with a paid subscription. You can tune things like auto-discovery (which determines how often is plays your “liked” songs/artists) or even by how new the songs are or how mainstream they are. For me, it does a pretty good job at the auto-discovery and has played songs that are similar to the ones I liked. With my fine-tuned settings, it also doesn’t go deep into the albums and tends to play more mainstream songs, which I like.

Now we’ll talk about Pandora. Similar to Slacker, it supports most of the major smartphone platforms, but there’s no support for Windows Phone 7 yet.

For the free subscription, you can skip 6 songs per hour per station, or you can skip 12 songs per day, across all stations. Also, with their free subscription, you can only listen to 40 hours of music per month. There’s also a one-hour time-out limit.

They also offer a Pandora One paid subscription, which is $36/year. For this, you get more skips (you don’t have the daily skip limit, but the hourly one still applies), no advertisements, a five hour time-out limit, custom skins, the Pandora One desktop application and higher quality audio when playing through your desktop.

Courtney’s Opinions – I’m a huge music fan and love to stream music all day long on most days. As you mentioned, I have used Pandora much more than Slacker but your opinions definitely make me consider purchasing a subscription. The caching feature alone just may be worth it. With Pandora, I’m not aware of this feature but I don’t know if it’s available on the paid version, my guess would be no.

In the recent months of using Pandora I have enjoyed the Android and PC version mainly because of the accessibility of creating my own stations and “liking” songs that interest me. I can’t say why I chose Pandora over Slacker because they are very similar. I’ve never even considered paying for a subscription of Pandora because the few ads I see never really bother me. I enjoy all types of music so I don’t skip songs that often either. I do see where this could be annoying if you were a new user and skipped 6 songs and then had to listen to something you didn’t like. I would enjoy it more if I could cache my songs to my SD card, that would make me even happier.

I have recently noticed something that I’m not sure anyone else has noticed. I had about 7 channels created, some rock, some R&B, etc. After my 6 months of use a few of the channels began playing the same songs, mixtures of all genres. I’m guessing this is because after so long of listening to each channel and “liking” so many of the same artists/songs on each one, all the channels end up playing the same things. I ended up deleting all but a couple channels and I’m currently waiting to see if they end up playing the same songs or not. Either way, it’s strange right? Like I said, I’m not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but it’s mind boggling. It doesn’t stop me from enjoying Pandora though. I actually have it blasting away right now!

For those of you that use one of these services, which one do you use and do you pay for their premium subscriptions? If you use something else, what is it?

We want to hear your opinions. For someone interested in one of these services, how would you persuade them to use your favorite?

Update: False Alarm. According to BGR, there was no conference in Toronto and Jim Balsillie didn’t speak at any event.

If you remember, earlier this month, we reported about a rumor of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) coming to Android and iOS. There were no real details of the plan, but the rumor was that it would first launch on Android, then the iPhone at a later date. Apparently part of that rumor is true, but it will launch on iOS first.

RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie made the information public while speaking at an event held in Toronto. It will supposedly be available in the App Store on April 26th with an update coming later this summer that will improve its notifications system.

Source: MacRumors via PocketNow

Rumors have recently been going around on what Sprint has planned for the CTIA convention this year and BGR has just been informed of what we like to call expected announcements. The three devices everyone is so excited about are the HTC Evo 3D, the HTC Evo View 4G and Sprint’s version of the Motorola XOOM.

Expected specifications of the HTC EVO 3D include a 4.3″ qHD 960 x 450-pixel Autostereoscopic 3D display, 4GB of RAM, 1GB ROM, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8660 Snapdragon CPU, dual rear 5-megapixel cameras with a dedicated camera button, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and a 1730mAh battery. It is said to be running Android Gingerbread 2.3 with HTC Sense UI and has output 1080p video via HDMI and output 720p 3D content as well. Supposedly it will come stock will also be a Blockbuster 3D on demand app as well as YouTube 3D. We will see when the announcement gets here.

Expected specifications of the HTC EVO View include features very similar to the HTC Flyer tablet including a 7-inch 1024 x 600-pixel capacitive touch screen, an aluminium unibody design, HTC Scribe with optional pen support, the latest HTC Sense UI optimized for tablet devices, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a 4000mAh battery and DLNA and HDMI-out support. Remember, specifications aren’t official but you can almost count on them being so.

As we mentioned in a previous article, Sprint is planning to launch their own XOOM tablet. See our previous article for more information.

Sources suggest that Sprint will be announcing quite a few more devices including a Samsung Rant 3, a 3G touch screen messaging device that’s eco friendly and features a solar rechargeable battery door. A BlackBerry PlayBook (Wi-Fi & WiMAX version) are also expected to be announced.

What do you think geeks? Will you get any of these? Is this what Sprint needs to gain back their reputation to the fullest? Do you think this will help? Let us know your thoughts?

Source: BGR

You read right! The folks over at BGR is reporting that they have information from multiple trusted sources that Research In Motion (RIM) is planning on bringing its Blackberry Messenger (BBM) service to Android, and eventually iOS. Details have not been finalized yet, but it sounds like they will offer a stripped down version of their service and it could be free or a one-time or monthly subscription fee.

The stripped down version will probably only allow for chat, meaning you won’t be able to share photos, videos, or location. They’re reporting that Android is definitely a go and its their first platform to develop it for because of its open nature. The sources are also saying that they’re confident the release should be sometime this year.

I’ve owned a Blackberry in the past and the BBM service was pretty nice. It doesn’t drain your battery because its all push notifications. You can see when someone reads your message and check their online status. There’s a few chat services that have tried to imitate BBM, like LiveProfile.

Would this be something you would download and use? Would you pay for it?

Sprint recently announced a new Total Equipment Protection application that is very useful for smartphones if you pay for the TEP insurance plan. If you lose your phone you can locate, lock, clear and restore it all with this application. To give you peace of mind you can restore your information once you recover your handset so don’t think everything is gone forever. This is something Verizon and AT&T have already been successful with so maybe Sprint will be as well.

We haven’t found it in the market yet but you can click here and download it and then place it on your phone. Sprint says it should be showing up starting today for those who pay for TEP.

The application is free and does work with Android and Blackberry devices, again only if you pay for the $7.00 a month TEP protection.

Take a look at the Press Release below:

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The cost to replace a lost mobile device is usually the least of a wireless customer’s worries, especially if he or she is protected by Sprint’s Total Equipment Protection, which provides coverage against loss, theft and damage. The bigger nightmare is the thought that a customer’s personal contacts, photos and other private information could fall into the wrong hands. To help alleviate those fears, Sprint (NYSE: S) customers needing to track down a lost device and protect their personal information can do so now with the launch of a new application called Total Equipment Protection App.*

Sprint customers with Total Equipment Protection will be able to access the new application, beginning today, at www.sprint.com/protection, where they will benefit from the following features:

* Locate lost device by sounding an alarm on the smartphone even if in silent mode, doing a real time locate via GPS technology, or viewing the smartphone’s location history on a map via a Web Interface
* Remotely lock their smartphone
* Erase contacts in the address book on a lost smartphone
* Backup, manage and restore contacts

“Anyone who has lost a phone knows that their personal information is possibly just as vulnerable as if their computer was hacked,” said John Carney, senior vice president of consumer marketing for Sprint. “Now, Sprint customers have peace of mind knowing that their personal and private information is safe. TEP and this accompanying application is a safeguard for customers who want protection from not only loss, but misuse and unauthorized access.”

The Protection App is included at no additional charge as a benefit of Total Equipment Protection plan, which is $7 per month, per line of service. It is available to customers with phones using BlackBerry and Android mobile platforms. TEP customers download and install the user-friendly application at www.sprint.com/protection. Privacy protection is included with the Protection App. Each time the smartphone’s location is requested by the Web interface, an SMS text message is sent to the smartphone notifying it has been located.

Do you currently pay for TEP and own a smartphone? Go on and download the application and let us know what you think. Of course, we know you may not make a claim today but you can at least tell us how much you like the looks, features, etc. Are you with Verizon or AT&T and use their similar apps? Let us know! Leave your comments in the box below.

Source: Engadget via Sprint

Internet radio has really taken off within the last few years with services like Pandora, Slacker, and Last.FM. Pandora and Slacker both offer their services for free but also have a premium upgrade package available. So far, Last.FM has always been free, including unlimited skips and a few ads. That’s about to change, because today, Last.FM has announced that they are moving most connected devices over to a subscription-based service. It looks to be $3/month. Streaming through the website will remain free with ads. Also, if you have an XBox or Windows Phone 7 device, you will still get free streaming. Unfortunately, for those on iPhone, Android, and other “connected devices”, you will have to start paying for the subscription on February 15th (some devices will continue to work until Summer 2011) to continue your streaming.

The revamp only affects the radio aspect of Last.fm’s services; scrobbling, music and event recommendations, social networking and community forums, and Last.fm’s wiki-based artist information remain as they were.

Source: Last.FM Blog

After weeks of speculation of new Blackberry devices, such as a touch screen bold or a new Storm, we finally have a tentative roadmap thanks to the users at Crackberry who got their hands on a couple of CDMA roadmap leaks. Also, a new device not previoulsy mentioned is a Touch Screen Curve, codenamed Malibu.

Look below for further specification and clarifications on the upcoming devices.

Source: CrackBerry

Finally, the released photo of the RIM’s product that will revolutionize the Blackberry. Codenamed Dakota, features a touch screen as well as a keyboard. Specs were rumored by BGR and it looks like the device is out there somewhere with some pretty sweet specs. Its exterior holds the factor of your typical bold but it mixes the full Qwerty keyboard with a touch screen. Could this be Verizon’s answer to AT&T’s Torch? It also comes with HD video, 4GB of storage with 768MB of RAM and can be used as a mobile 3G hotspot, and even possible OS 6.1!

Cant wait to get my hands on this one.

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS
• 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, flash, and image stabilization
• 4GB of built in storage, 768MB of RAM
• 2.8-inch VGA 640 x 480 capacitive screen
• WiFi b,g,n on 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies
• 3G mobile hotspot!
• MicroUSB port
• Bluetooth
• NFC
• Magnetometer
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• 10.5mm thin
• Launches with BlackBerry OS 6.1

Source: BGR, CrackBerry

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday when AT&T launched the Blackberry Torch with the newest OS 6? Well, here is the next generation of that family. The Torch successor’s specs just seems to be along the lines of what the original Torch should have been considering all the problems users faced. If the Torch’s 600MHz CPU was a bit too underpowered for you then your in luck, because the next generartion features a powerful 1.2 GHz CPU. RIM is hoping for a Q3 release on the device. Full specs below.

• 1.2GHz processor
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band HSPA 14.4Mbps
• 3.2-inch VGA 640 x 480 capacitive display
• 8GB built-in memory
• 512MB RAM
• Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS
• NFC
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• Magnetometer
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• 1300 mAh battery
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• OpenGL ES
• 14.6mm thin

Source: BGR, CrackBerry

Blackberry’s Curve line has come a long way and now new information has been floating around about the newest edition to the most popular BlackBerry line. The new Curve, codenamed “Apollo”, brings competitive specs to the mobile device world. Apollo has been rumored to have a quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 5-mexapixel camera, a tri brand HSPA 7.2 Mbps and a 480 x 360 screen.

The Curve line currently includes the 83xx, 85xx, 89xx, and 93xx series, however there has been no reports of what the number the Apollo will carry. Pricing and carrier are still unknown at the moment. One thing is for sure, the new blackberry looks to be the most promising edition to the curve family yet.

Full specs for the BlackBerry Apollo:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSPA 7.2Mbps
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• GPS
• NFC
• 512MB of eMMC, 512MB of RAM
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• HVGA 480 x 360 display
• 1050 mAh battery
• Tavor MG-1 800MHz CPU
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• 11mm thin

Source: BGR, Crackberry