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mobile
February 10, 2011
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Bloomberg: BlackBerry PlayBook to run Android apps

By on February 10, 2011 at 5:50 PM.

Bloomberg: BlackBerry PlayBook to run Android apps

We independently confirmed it with multiple sources of ours when we broke the news back in January, and today, Bloomberg has chimed in with multiple sources of its own claiming that the BlackBerry PlayBook will indeed run Android applications. We reported that the PlayBook might run the Java VM Dalvik, but later received information that RIM might be looking for other options. Bloomberg has reported that RIM won’t be using Dalvik, but is looking elsewhere. With this news and RIM’s recent strategic moves, we can confidently say that we’re incredibly excited about the future prospects for Research In Motion — and the ability to run over 130,000 Android applications on our BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBooks, of course. More →

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Exclusive
January 26, 2011
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Exclusive: BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphones to run Android apps?

By on January 26, 2011 at 11:52 AM.

Exclusive: BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphones to run Android apps?

As crazy as that sounds, we have been told by multiple trusted sources that RIM is seriously considering a feature that will allow BlackBerry devices to run Android apps. Here is what we know… Research In Motion has been trying to figure out the path it wants to take as far as how the existing Java environment will work on its upcoming QNX tablet and smartphones. The company has publicly stated that it is looking at getting a Java virtual machine running on the PlayBook  — not so much for app development going forward, but for legacy support, custom apps corporations have deployed and don’t want to recreate, etc — but RIM hasn’t yet decided what kind of Java VM it will use. Hit the break for the rest! More →

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Services
June 10, 2009
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Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go is a go

By on June 10, 2009 at 9:23 AM.

Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go is a go

Just one day after we scooped fresh product shots of Virgin Mobile USA’s first mobile broadband device, the Novatel Wireless MC760, the company has announced the availability of its contract-free Broadband2Go service. Touted as a 3G nationwide wireless Internet service, the MVNO’s new offering is sure to pique the interest of infrequent travelers and light mobile broadband users who simply can’t justify a $60 per month service for sporadic usage. Out of the gate, the pricing structure is a bit different than we had believed back when we first broke news of the coming broadband offering. Users will be able to purchase Broadband2Go Top-Up cards in the following denominations:

  • $10 — 100MB usable for 10 days
  • $20 — 250MB usable for 30 days
  • $40 — 600MB usable for 30 days
  • $60 — 1GB usable for 30 days

On the surface these options appear to be a bit pricey but again, postpaid options from other carriers can cost $720 per year or more. For users who only need mobile broadband access a few months out of each year, spending a total of $60, $120 or even $180 for Top-Up cards that will get them through a full year translates into massive savings.

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Exclusive
June 9, 2009
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Images of Virgin Mobile broadband USB modem found on Best Buy servers

By on June 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM.

Images of Virgin Mobile broadband USB modem found on Best Buy servers

Patience Virgin Mobile subscribers, patience. Last month we scooped an upcoming mobile broadband offering from Virgin Mobile that is slowly but surely making its way to Best Buy Mobile. Shortly thereafter, we scared up some possible details as far as pricing and data cost are concerned. Well folks, it looks like we might be getting closer to launch time as one of our readers tossed on his mining hat and managed to dig up some dirt. Found camping out on a Best Buy image server, two images of an upcoming Virgin Mobile USB modem sit ready and waiting. We’ve verified their presence on Best Buy’s servers and the item numbers match so you’re indeed looking at what will be VM’s first mobile broadband accessory here in the US. To refresh your memory, Virgin Mobile will supposedly offer both prepaid and postpaid mobile broadband packages and the modem will run $150. Hit the jump for one more shot.

Thanks, Andrew!

More →

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Exclusive
May 26, 2009
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More details on Virgin Mobile's broadband card

By on May 26, 2009 at 9:30 AM.

More details on Virgin Mobile's broadband card

We’re not sure how many readers out there are sitting on the edges of their seats waiting for more info on Virgin Mobile’s upcoming broadband card we scooped last week. If there is even one however, we would be remiss if we ignored him or her. Consider this unconfirmed for the time being, but a tipster whose intel has panned out in the past just hit us with the missing puzzle piece from our scoop — prepaid pricing. Virgin Mobile is all about prepaid after all, so we were pretty curious to find out how attractive its prepaid pricing structure would be. Answer: meh. It looks like VM will offer $20 prepaid cards alongside its broadband offering and each card will be good for 250MB of data. We’re not yet sure if additional denominations will be available. 250MB for $20 might not seem like a great deal but it’s actually not terrible — users looking for a mobile broadband solution for light use while traveling every few months for example, will definitely save hundreds of dollars or more by avoiding a monthly subscription fee.

So to recap what we have so far: $149.99 for the card / Postpaid options: 5GB of data per month for $40 or 1GB of data per month for an unknown fee / Prepaid option: $20 per 250MB prepaid card.

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Exclusive
May 22, 2009
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Virgin Mobile broadband card to be carried by Best Buy

By on May 22, 2009 at 3:07 PM.

Virgin Mobile broadband card to be carried by Best Buy

You know everyone has a mobile broadband card when Virgin Mobile is going to be carrying one… We just got word, and this screenshot, from one of our ninjas saying Best Buy is going to be carrying the data card starting June 14th. Just like everything else from Virgin Mobile, there will apparently be a prepaid option as well! Do you find yourself constantly worrying that you’re about to pass the 5GB softcap on your plan? If so, prepaid can definitely put an end to your troubles. Pricing isn’t solid yet but as far as monthly plan options go, we’re told it should be competitive with Cricket — possibly $40 for 5GB and a cheaper 1GB plan as well — and the card itself will run $149.99. Details on how prepaid will work are not yet avaialble.

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Retail
February 13, 2009
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Helio Ocean 2: The Wait is Over

By on February 13, 2009 at 10:58 AM.

Helio Ocean 2: The Wait is Over

At long last, the Helio Ocean 2 is now available online. Many will just chuckle and give this bubbly handset a pass (especially for those who gave up after waiting for so long), but for those few die-hard Helio fans left it’s better late than never. If you have been lusting after this device and were waiting for its official release, head on over to Helio’s website where you can grab one for $149 with a two-year contract. If you click on the little “lawyers note” where the phone is available for online ordering, it also mentions that this is a limited time offer only. We’re not sure exactly what they mean by that, but it’s a pretty good cue to get one soon. Is there anyone out there getting ready to pick one one of these “3G social networking powerhouses”?

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General
January 30, 2009
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Helio Ocean 2 has been spotted and will be released February 12!

By on January 30, 2009 at 8:15 AM.

Helio Ocean 2 has been spotted and will be released February 12!

After one long year of waiting in agony, excitement, disappointment, despair and lastly hope, it looks like the Helio Ocean 2 has finally materialized and it appears to be a sure thing now. The packaging looks very similar to the first Ocean, though it is now just called Ocean 2 given the Virgin Mobile acquisition of Helio. There’s no mistaking this for anything else as it looks very much like the original and exactly like all the leaked images from a few months back. Word seems to be pretty solid that this is coming on February 12, so we’re just days away from salvation. The second generation Ocean has an upgraded version of the Ultimate Inbox which now threads SMS messages and has Google Talk included. The browser now supports full HTML and with 2GB of internal storage, you won’t be aching for memory as often as you did with the first Ocean. Hit the read link for a full unboxing treatment.

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General
January 17, 2009
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Back from the dead: Helio Ocean 2

By on January 17, 2009 at 7:58 AM.

Back from the dead: Helio Ocean 2

Helio fans have had enough torment for the last year. First, there were rumors that the company was going to go completely bankrupt. Then there were mixed feelings about the MVNO being acquired by another MVNO – Virgin Mobile. To top it all off, die-hard Ocean lovers kept getting their hopes and dreams shot down every couple of months with news of the Ocean 2, only to have it never arrive. Well, we hate to put you on that rollercoaster of emotions but a pretty solid source put word out that Helio is planning to put out the Ocean 2 as early as next month. But with the iPhone, Bold, Curve 8900, Storm, Palm Pre, G1, and HTC Fuze, how well will the Ocean 2 keep up? Not many even know about the original Ocean let alone rumors of a second iteration coming out. As much as we loved the first Ocean, we’re afraid this might be too little too late – even for some of the biggest Helio fans. No word on pricing as of yet, but with the original Ocean’s $299, don’t expect anything too tempting.

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Rumor
September 19, 2008
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Helio Ocean 2 hits FCC… again

By on September 19, 2008 at 7:59 PM.

Helio Ocean 2 hits FCC… again

Earlier this year, around March, news of the Helio Ocean 2 was flooding the ‘net with diagrams “leaked” by the FCC. Well, the rumors and possibilities were quickly trashed when news of a Virgin Mobile acquisition of Helio came out. ‘Twas a sad day for hardcore Helio fans and mixed emotions were abound in the VM camp. However, it seems that Helio is still maintaining its unique branding of software and equipment even after the VM absorption, which makes the news of this new device all the more legit. The image speaks for itself: It distinctly resembles the original OZ1 and is even branded with the Helio name. It also appears to have touch-sensitive surfaces where the physical buttons used to be, which likely means haptic feedback, too. There’s even an optical joystick for navigation. Seems like it would also feature a QVGA display, Ev-DO, 2 megapixel cam with video, full HTML browser, and A2DP support. The phone should “wow” all the Helions who are still clinging onto their first-generation Oceans, but…

When is this sweet little gadget coming out? According to the folks over at Heliocity, they received an e-mail from a higher-up at Virgin telling them it’s not slated until early 2009! Are they kidding? They’ll have a lot of catching up to do because it’s likely this device might be outdated at that point (since it’s close to being ‘dated before its release). Come on, VM! Helio waited an eternity to update this and look where it got them. For the few die-hards that didn’t leave Helio and refuse to budge, cross those fingers and hope this comes out sooner than later.

Thanks, Dorian!

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