Samsung is already advertising its free gifts that will be available to Galaxy S5 buyers. Worth almost $600, these gifts include free subscriptions to certain services and access to premium apps – or essentially free bloatware that should convince consumers to buy the new handset. But one U.K. carrier has devised a more interesting way to attract buyers to a brand new Android handset. More →
Just because a device isn’t a hot seller doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. As we observed with the BlackBerry Z30′s impressive capabilities as a messaging device, sometimes a mobile device simply does certain things better than the iPhone or Samsung’s Galaxy devices even if it has no hope of ever matching them in terms of sales. More →
The Galaxy S5 isn’t even available in stores in any market including South Korea, and it looks like the phone will have a rather rocky start in its home country. According to Reuters, the phone’s launch almost coincides with a 45-day smartphone sales ban imposed on mobile operators by the local communications regulator. From March 13 to May 19, SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ will be banned “from signing up customers or replacing phones.” The Galaxy S5 expected to launch on April 11 in the region. More →
Google has definitely benefited from the rise of the mobile web, especially since its Android platform is now by far the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. However, the mobile web has also shown itself to be disruptive to Google’s traditional search business mostly because it’s having trouble collecting data on what users are doing when they’re looking at mobile applications. More →
Expected to be one of the main Galaxy S5 competitors (it was even referred to as a “Galaxy S5 killer) alongside the Xperia Z2 and new HTC One model, the LG G3 is apparently going to be waterproof and dustproof, according to ETnews‘ sources. However, it’s not clear what certification the device will have, assuming the report is accurate. More →
After a report last week suggested that TSMC may be the sole manufacturer of Apple’s A8 chip that’s expected to be found inside this year’s new iPhone and iPad model leaving Samsung out of the A8 manufacturing deal, a new story from South Korea now says otherwise. According to ZDNet Korea’s sources, Samsung will still get its hands on A8 production despite rumors that suggested the company was struggling with poor yield rates for the A8. More →
Just over one month after its last iOS 7.1 beta was released, Apple’s has pushed the release version of its iOS 7.1 software out to the public. Apple’s last pre-release version of its mobile software, iOS 7.1 beta 5, was released on February 4th and as BGR’s sources had previously stated, it was intended to be the final beta version for developers ahead of the iOS 7.1 Gold Master (GM) version. Curiously, Apple has decided to skip the GM build and release iOS 7.1 to the public. According to an earlier BGR report, iOS 7.1 has been scheduled to be released to the public sometime in early or mid-March for quite a while, so the release is right on time. More →
T-Mobile and AT&T may be crawling over one another trying to offer better deals these days but Verizon has been mostly content to sit back and watch while offering the occasional price cut to keep its customers happy. Re/code reports that Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said at a Deutsche Bank technology conference Monday that he wasn’t at all worried about the price wars going on between AT&T and T-Mobile because he’s learned from experience that aggressively undercutting your competition’s prices is self-destructive in the long run. More →
The upcoming new YotaPhone, pictured above, shows us just how gorgeous a smartphone with an E Ink display can be. The device combines a full color display with an E Ink screen, allowing owners to extend the phone’s battery life and utilize the power-sipping E Ink panel for basic functions. But what if the handset did away with the color display entirely? This is the vision of European eReader maker Onyx, which on Monday showed off its MIDIA InkPhone smartphone, a handset that promises a remarkable two weeks of battery life per charge. More →
Whatever scary threats HTC has been sending to people who have received developer editions of The All-New HTC One, it clearly isn’t working. While there are still two weeks to go before its official launch, The All-New HTC One has leaked yet again in a short video “review” of the device that shows off its basic build. More →
AT&T and T-Mobile’s mutual contempt for one another is producing better deals for many wireless customers. AT&T this weekend announced that it’s cut the price of its 2GB Mobile Share Value to $65, or $15 less than the original price. Although the plan only offers 2GB of data, it does give you unlimited voice and text, “as well as unlimited international messaging from the U.S. to select countries,” so it could definitely be a sweet deal for anyone who doesn’t gorge themselves on LTE data every month. More →
In the wide variety of iPhone 6 concept videos that hit the web on a regular basis, a new clip stands out for potentially showing a next-generation iPhone concept that actually makes sense, considering Apple’s way of doing things. Designer Sam Beckett has imagined an iPhone that’s slightly bigger than the current model in order to accommodate a larger 4.7-inch display. It’s also slightly thinner, with the designer including it in a new “iPhone Air” family. But overall, the iPhone Air looks like a phone you’d expect to see from the Cupertino-based company. More →
