Section: Apple, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  If you are a long-time iPhone user on AT&T, then you should probably text “yes” to 11113020 in order to take advantage of a gift from AT&T in the form of a thousand free roll-over minutes. The threat of many AT&T iPhone users leaving to sign a contract with Verizon Wireless is very real, and AT&T is showing their thanks to those who continue to remain a loyal and valued customer. If you haven’t received a text yet showing that 1000 free minutes have been credited to your account, you can text yes to the number listed above and hopefully you will receive a confirmation text.
Via [9to5mac] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
  Section: Communications, Computers, Mobile Computers, Trade Shows According to a rumor, Samsung may have a newer, larger, thinner tablet under wraps that the giant electronics company is preparing to launch this weekend at MWC 2011. The successor to the original Galaxy Tab is expected to feature a 10.1 inch screen, but instead of gaining bulk, it is said to be shedding unnecessary baggage to become even thinner than the current Galaxy Tab. In addition, it is said to operate on Android 3.0, also known as Honeycomb, which is designed for use with tablets. The second version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab would join the Motorola Xoom and the LG G-Slate as the only tablets currently announced to run Android 3.0. Lastly, it is expected to feature a 8MP rear facing camera and dual-core processor manufactured by Qualcomm. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but if Samsung does announce this tablet at MWC, I’m sure we’ll learn more information regarding these critical details. Via [Liliputing] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Google Google has announced that the 2-step verification process will soon be available for all users. Of course, some will recognize this as it was introduced for Google Apps customers a few months back. But in todays good news, it will soon be available for regular users as well. “2-step verification requires two independent factors for authentication, much like you might see on your banking website: your password, plus a code obtained using your phone.”
Bottom line, this is probably a good idea for someone who is entrusting their Google account with lots of information—in other words, just about everyone should want this enabled. That said, keep an eye out as the 2-step verification feature will be rolling out over the course of the next few days. Via [Official Gmail Blog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones T-Mobile has been quiet on announcing the pricing for its upcoming Samsung Galaxy S 4G, but fortunately, we have third party retailers who are happy to leak pricing information. According to an ad from Radio Shack, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G could sell for $149.99, assuming Radio Shack isn’t offering a deep discount. However, $149.99 makes sense because four days ago we saw Walmart leak a nearly identical Galaxy S 4G price at $148.88. We still have to wait until T-Mobile officially announces the price, but at this point, I can say with good confidence that the Galaxy S 4G will most likely launch for $149.99 on contract. Via [TmoNews] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking Twitter has rolled out their latest in term of Android, the new app is now at version 2.0 and with that comes some new features. According to the details coming from the Twitter Blog, the app “looks and feels more like our other official Twitter applications and provides a more consistent experience across platforms and devices.” That said, the new features of the app include the ability to use Twitter without signing in and universal search as well as the previously mentioned new design. Plus, the app will now scan your address book and show you which of your contacts are using Twitter (and have chosen to be discoverable). And lastly, Twitter for Android remains available as a free download from the Android Market. The one catch is that it requires Android 2.1 or later. Via [Official Twitter Blog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 FROM APPLETELL - Hello, Verizon customers, and welcome to the iPhone. Here’s a quick collection of cases that have been updated for the Verizon iPhone 4.
MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! - Amazon Kindle app coming to the HP TouchPad tablet
” HP unveiled their webOS tablet yesterday during the Think Beyond press event and it looks like we have a additional detail in terms of an available app. Amazon has officially announced plans to release a Kindle app. A release date was not given,…” MORE » - Canon unleashes the new Rebel T3 and T3i DSLR cameras
” Look what we have here - Canon has announced two new DSLR camera bearing the Rebel T3 and Rebel T3i branding. Judging by the announced specs and features of these two new camers, it looks like the Rebel T3 is…” MORE » - Super Bowl Commercial: Motorola Xoom Android tablet
” Chances are many of you saw the Super Bowl yesterday, however I am fairly certain that are more than a few who are like myself—not a football fan. Given that, the commercials are generally the most exciting part and this year…” MORE » - Gadgetell Hands On: Verizon iPhone 4
” It looks like our 3AM ordering time has paid off in the form of a Verizon branded iPhone 4 that has arrived a full three days ahead of the general…” MORE » - Verizon iPhone makes its way into customers hands, by way of delivery center pickup
” While many are awaiting the UPS or FedEx driver to arrive at the house sometime before 3PM today, it looks like one not so patient user went directly to the source of the delivery—the distribution center. Anyway, based on the video,…” MORE » - Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Phone to be officially announced on Feb 13
” There you go folks. For all of us who are still doubting whether there is really a Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Android phone, well Sony Ericsson’s official Facebook page just officially unveiled the launch…” MORE » - Pre-order your HTC Thunderbolt at Best Buy starting today
” If you’re looking to pick up a new smartphone on Verizon Wireless and you don’t really care for the iPhone 4, you may want to head over to your local Best Buy store and pre-order the HTC Thunderbolt. …” MORE » - White iPhone 4 gets a shelf tag at one Best Buy in Houston
” While this far from the end all be all proof that a white iPhone is going to be released soon, it does lead one to wonder. According to the details…” MORE » - Canon launches four new Powershot cameras with features such as GPS, 5x zoom and more
” So aside from launching two new DSLR cameras,…” MORE » - Super Bowl Commercial: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphone
” Not a football fan, not a problem as the Super Bowl seems to be just as much about the commercials. And thankfully for those like myself who are in the geekier crowd, there were more than a few tech related commercials…” MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile If we can believe this image taken of an internal Best Buy inventory system is accurate, then it looks like the HTC Thunderbolt is going to come with an off-contract price tag of $749.99. In other words—expensive. But thankfully that is expected to be the off-contract price and not something most would be paying. Via [Android Police] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Alltel Wireless has just brought in a new Samsung Android phone under its various smartphone offerings - the Samsung Gem. If you don’t mind getting a Samsung smartphone equipped with Android 2.1, then you might want to give the Samsung Gem a consideration. This Android phone, despite the lack of Android 2 is still a full-featured device with several nice features including a large LCD touch display. Briefly, here are the features that you should expect from the Samsung Gem - Google Search and Google Maps with turn-by-turn GPS navigation, direct-to-social photo posting, 3.2MP camera, SWYPE virtual keyboard, drag and drop widgets and icons, and Wi-Fi. Best part is - the Samsung Gem is available from Alltel Wireless for free after a $50 mail in rebate, provided of course that you’d sign up for a mobile data contract. Product [Samsung Gem] via [MobileBurn] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack 
What's the most common phrase heard around the Gadgetell newsroom? Is it "I love Apple?", "that's cool!" or "sweet!"? Answer: none of them, it's "they are on crack." This week we take a look back at the things that made us chuckle in the tech world. Assembled here are companies whose moves are so strange, we suspect some illegal substances are involved. It’s been a while since I was this let down by the tech world. Lets get to this week's accused and see why: “Aw crap, I am on fire!”
Nokia goes to Smartphone Dance
If you liked the Pre (and not enough of you did)...
Coming soon/late/never: HP Touchpad 
Nokia’s burning platform In the history of memos to all employees, Nokia’s letter that we revealed this week ranks in the top three. In it, Stephen Elop, Nokia’s top man fires off this realization, “I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform.” Boom. Some hot shot writer for Gadgetell says, “in what is purported to be a all-hands email to Nokia employees, Stephen Elop, finally was the ostrich who took his head out of the sand and came to a startling realization: Nokia is in trouble. Elop carefully points out how unresponsive Nokia has been to start-up ecosystems like iOS and Android while at the same time getting eaten into on the low end. Elop points out Nokia is far from out and inspires his team to rise to the challenge.” Elop actually intros the blow with a story about a oil rig that catches fire and the worker on it is faced with a choice: either burn or jump into the dark, icy waters below. Great imagery and it’s made even better if you add in a dash of reality. Here’s my reality-enhanced version: the oil rig catches fire and the man aboard has been on fire for 4 years. He ignored it when his Apple set fire to his shirt because he was high on crack. He ignored it when his search engine set his pants ablaze because he was high on crack. He ignored it when the cheap, probably broken cell phone in his pocket set his underwear on fire because he was high on crack. He awoke this morning, the cracks run out, and he smells his own flesh burning and realizes, “yikes I am on fire.” Now he is faced with the option: do I just ride this fire out, I mean, it looks like I’ve been on fire for 4 years or do I jump? There’s a lot of damage done Nokia. Jump. - Heck, we’ve been yelling jump so long, our throat is hoarse. 
Nokia hooks up with Windows Phone Series 7 Hells horses! Nokia held a timely, 2am for West coast USA or 5am for East, press conference to announce a new partnership. Our man Shawn Ingram was the early bird, “Nokia today announced a deal with Microsoft that joins the companies in a "strategic alliance." The deal will bring Windows Phone 7 to Nokia devices, but also bring together other services offered by the companies. Fans of Nokia's current strategy have little to worry about, though everyone has reason to be excited.” Be excited Mr. Ingram? Oh brother! Am I to be excited about going to the Smartphone Dance only to come home with the ugliest girl there? Are we to be excited Nokia didn’t come home with the KIN sisters? Out of all the hot chicks dancing: iOS, webOS, and the Android sisterhood (Ginger and Honey) you pick WPS7? What is dissapointing about Windows Phone? Let me Google it: - #1 search result: Windows Phone 7 Sales Disappointing
- #2 search result: Windows Phone 7 First Day Sales Disappointing
- #3 search result: Windows Phone 7 App Sales Disappointin
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Um, maybe Windows Phone Series 7 has a great personality? If you throw in many reviewers thought the software felt like a Beta and you’ve got a proper $hitstorm. Kudos, really, for Nokia for getting a date to the Smartphone Dance, but we believe you could have done better. 
HP just can’t get left You know those commericials that state,“if you like X, then you’ll love Y.” The idea is simple, if you find a target audience that likes your product, then you can get a percentage of that audience to buy your knock-off. It’s the ever-shrinking target. That is what HP is now doing with the new phone announcements, if you liked the Pre, you’re going to love XYZ. Our Shawn Ingram details the embarrassment of “new” phones offered by HP: “[t]his is the kind of WebOS phone I was hoping the Pre 2 would be. It's nice to see HP finally getting around to making it.” Huh? You ordered this Ingram? Ay! This is not new phones, this is variation on the theme. This is Jeggings of the tech world in different sizes. This is a forecast for sleet or hail or freezing rain. This tells America, “if you didn’t like the Pre (and enough of you didn’t, as the company didn’t make it) then you won’t like these either.” The Pre 2 or 3 is not going to make the iPhone/Android variation of the day owner think twice about buying your Pre. Here are some words in your design language, HP, to help you understand:
PREdictable.
PREdated.
PREdisappointment Am I pissed that there isn’t a viable phone I’d consider buying with webOS on it? Heck yes. I consider webOS the best OS out there and I find it extremely frustrating the HP refuses to mate it with post 2007 hardware. The definition of insanity: do the same thing expecting different results. HP, get GPS, stop driving down this road. HP is Chevy Chase in European Vacation, “look kids, Big Ben, Parliament” 
HP pulls the magicians trick When I go to a magic show, I can’t enjoy it. I am working over what actually is happening in my head over and over until I can justify it. That is what happened when HP showed off the TouchPad without price or release date. It’s like, your at the magic show and the lady gets in the box and then she’s gone. The curtains close and the audience just sits there. Waiting. Thinking, where the flock did the girl in the box go? After an hour, not one audience member has moved. They are all still waiting for an answer. That was the HP event for me, at least the non-phone part of the show, when I stopped vomitting. In my mind, I am still in the theater, probably getting death threats from the centers security team by now. When, where, how much? Without these key metrics, you might as well have showed us an alien without telling us what cool powers it has, where it came from or how you got a hold of one. Am I the only one still thinking they’re got a Pre’d up version of the TouchPad that will have a stupid slide out keyboard? Join us next week when our meds kick in and we start to see the brighter side of life again. Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile While the listing does not mention the Thunderbolt by name, it appears as if a recent FCC filing is for just that—the HTC Thunderbolt for Verizon Wireless. That said, what we can gleam from the filing is that it is for a 4G capable HTC smartphone. The model number for the device is the PG05100, but perhaps the important part comes in with some of the support—support that follows suit with what we have heard in the past with simultaneous voice and data. According to the details given, PG05100 has support for SVDO and SVLTE. Of course, the more expected CDMA and EVDO support is included. And lastly, while this does not necessarily mean the release will be happening on this date, the listing did mention a confidentiality request being in effect until March 31st. In other words, things are not looking good for the HTC Thunderbolt coming on February 24th. Via [FCC] and [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web The folks at Evernote has just bumped up their productivity app for Android smartphones to version 2.6. Available as a free download from the Android Market, Evernote Android app 2.6 brings several new features at the front-end as well as enhancement at the back-end of the app - all for the sake of making the even more useful. So here’s a brief rundown of what’s new with Evernote Android app version 2.6: Snippet note list view - more dynamic view of the most useful information about your note at the smallest amount of space used. This new feature was carried out to strike a balance between information-density vs your Android phone’s form factor. You’ll notice this new feature when viewing notes containing images wherein the app will only show the note title, some text and a thumbnail. If you’re note is text-only, the full width view will be used to contain as much text as possible. Notebook Stacks - The app has added the facility to see stacks created on the desktop from Evernote for Android. Mobile stack for notebooks useful when accessed from your Android phone can now also be created to make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for when you’re on the go. In-Device editing of styled notes - The app now lets you edit note in your account whether text notes, webclip, snapshot or audio note. For more details on this feature, please watch the demo video after the via link. Other features of the updated Evernote Android app include - improved sync performance, edit saved searches easily, improved image scaling, faster note loading, faster app performance, and other bug fixes. via [Evernote Blog]  Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile For all of our friends in Canada who have been wanting to get a taste of Windows Phone 7, today is your lucky day. Head out to Bell Canada and check out the just released HTC HD7 smartphone. In case you’re not aware, the HTC HD7 is possibly one of the best Windows Phone 7 released so far. And guess what? Bell is even offering it at no contract basis for $499.95. But of course, if you don’t want to spend that much at once, you can still score the HTC HD7 under a 3-year contract with Bell. That plan will set you back for only $99.95 initial cash-out. It’s also available under a 2-year contract for $449.95 and 1-year contract for $474.95. Seems like the no contract option is still the better deal, right? Anyway, in case you’re interested in getting the HTC HD 7 from Bell, you’d be better knowing that this Windows Phone 7 boasts of a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, 575MB of RAM, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera with auto-focus, dual-LED flash and video capture capability, Wi-Fi and of course XBOX Live Integration. Product [HTC HD 7 at Bell] via [MobileSyrup] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Stop me if you heard this one, oh wait, you most likely have because it involves the HTC Thunderbolt and a rumored release date. Anyway, the latest in the when-will-Verizon-release-the-Thunderbolt saga is suggesting that the handset could come available on February 24th. Yup, another rumored release date and this one is once again dealing with February 24th. That said, the details are coming by way of the Boy Genius who is reporting the story based on one of their “sources.” Also, further details state that the handset will come available at both Best Buy and Verizon. Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile Sure yesterday HP announced the Pre 3 and the Veer, and today is the launch fo the Verizon iPhone, but that isn’t stopping HP from choosing today as the first day of pre-order for the Pre 2. The phone is available witha two-year contract for $99, or $439.99 without the contract. The Pre 2 isn’t actually anywhere to be found on the Verizon Wireless website, with the front page being dedicated to the new iPhone 4. There isn’t even a product page for the phone yet. The only pre-orders are through HP. HP has the phone as releasing in one week, on February 17. So, if you really need to upgrade your Pre+ and cannot wait until this Summer for the Pre 3, now is the time. The Pre 2 isn’t a bad phone by any means. It’s the first phone to run WebOS 2, and has some internal upgrades that make it better than the Pre+. The nicer, bigger screen and video chat on the Pre 3 make the Pre 2 look a bit anemic, however. We also know that the Pre 3 will be a world phone at launch, so it will support Verizon from the onset, so there isn’t any reason why Verizon users would have to wait too long for the next device. So for now, unless you absolutely must have a new WebOS phone, hold off for a few months for the Pre 3 or the Veer. Read [HP] via [Pre Central] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio A few weeks ago Spotify finally came to an agreement with Sony’s US music label, making a US release finally seem plausible. Not it looks like the company might be ramping up for a US launch sometime in the near future. Spotify recently sent out emails to US customers, or would-be customers, proclaiming that it is looking at a full launch sometime “over the coming months.” Not much else was said, but it’s looking promising. To make the deal even more promising, on Tuesday the CEO of Warner Music proclaimed that Spotify is “ever-more meaningful for our results." So that’s not an inked deal like Spotify has with Sony, but an acknowledgement is better than outright refusal. “Coming months” is still a bit too vague for my liking, but it’s better than nothing. Keep in mind we were burned by Spotify in the past when the company claimed to be coming to the US by the end of 2010. With actual deals and hopeful emails, maybe this could actually be happening. If nothing else, perhaps it wil urge Apple to get on with it’s rumored iTunes streaming that Cupertino has allegedly been planning since it bought Lala. Read [Geek] via [Geeky Gadgets] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile The rumors are true, Nokia today announced a deal with Microsoft that joins the companies in a “strategic alliance.” The deal will bring Windows Phone 7 to Nokia devices, but also bring together other services offered by the companies. Fans of Nokia’s current strategy have little to worry about, though everyone has reason to be excited. As part of the deal, Windows Phone 7 will be adopted as Nokia’s “primary smartphone strategy,” with Nokia bringing it’s strengths such as great imaging to the OS. This of course will help Microsoft by getting to OS in front of more users outside the current mid-to-high range smartphone users current phones seem focused on. For Microsoft’s part, it will start integrating Nokia Maps into it’s services like Bing and adCenter (though it seems unlikely it would completely replace Bing Maps). Like most other deals that remotely involve Bing, Nokia will make Bing the default on all of it’s phones going forward. Nokia’s current content and applications will be assimilated into the Microsoft Marketplace, so we can look forward to all those Ovi apps showing up. While some of the Bing aspects of the deal might be frustrating for those who want to use the forthcoming MeeGo device from Nokia, the alliance is generally exciting. There should be no doubt that Nokia makes some of the best phone hardware out there. Until now the biggest issue for the platform has been the janky Symbian OS. Windows Phone 7 is a solid OS that offers an interesting experience. In my opinion, it deserves more exposure/market share than it gets and Nokia would be able to give it that, though maybe not in the US. Hopefully this deal doesn’t end up with both company’s efforts falling flat, though that is a strong possibility.  Read [Nokia Conversations] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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