T-Mobile announced on Thursday it would be closing seven call centers in the United States. 3,300 employees will be affected by this, but T-Mobile estimates it will only be out 1,900 employees once the company hires 1,400 more workers. In light of this announcement, AT&T stepped from the sidelines to give its opinion on the matter. In a blog post written by AT&T Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s overall message seems to be “we knew this would happen.” Cicconi reminds everyone that AT&T promised it would preserve the same call center jobs T-Mobile is cutting if the FCC agreed to AT&T’s buyout of T-Mobile. Of course, that deal fell through last December. It cost AT&T a pretty penny too, so there’s most likely some bitterness still lingering from the fallout. “At that time, the current FCC not only rejected our pledges and predictions, they also questioned our credibility,” Cicconi wrote. “The FCC argued that the merger would cost jobs, not preserve them, and that rejecting it would save jobs. In short, the FCC said they were right, we were wrong, and did so in an aggressive and adamant way.” “Rarely are a regulatory agency's predictive judgments proven so wrong so fast. But for the government's decision, centers now being closed would be staying open, workers now facing layoffs would have job guarantees, and communities facing turmoil would have security. Only a few months later, the truth of who was right is sadly obvious.” Some would argue T-Mobile closing data centers is the direct result from customers jumping ship and not because AT&T didn’t get its way. Either way, AT&T just could not pass up this opportunity to blow off some steam. Via [AT&T]  
King of Fighters, possibly one of the most popular arcade fighting game has just landed on Android after several months of being released for iOS. Confirmed to work fine with Samsung Galaxy S 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Sony Ericsson Xperia, Xperia Play and possibly some more Android tablets and smartphones (Google Play is showing that it’s compatible with my Galaxy Note), KOF for Android brings the complete KOF experience that we’ve grown to love through the years. The developer has successfully recreated the same graphics and same controls using the virtual pad/joystick. The game also features five gameplay modes namely, Team Battle, Single Battle, Endless, Challenge and Training. Other features of the game include – 20 legendary fighters, unlockable trading cards, illustrations and other bonus content. King of Fighters is available now from Google Play for around $5. Hopefully, it will be compatible with other devices or the developers to at least have a plan to make it available. So, who’s getting the game? Via [Google Play]  
It looks like the folks over at Hulu have recently added to the support device list for Hulu Plus. The new support is available immediately and is for “select” Toshiba 2012 Blu-ray players, Sharp 2012 TVs and Best Buy's Dynex Blu-ray players. Of course, even with the newly added support, those interested in viewing Hulu Plus on any of those devices will need a subscription which will set you back $7.99 per month. And lastly, those interested in checking out the service but not yet ready to commit — Hulu did mention that you can get a one week trial to check things out. Otherwise, those curious about other supported devices or specifics can head on over to the Hulu website where they offer a complete list. Via [Hulu Blog]  
It looks like Amazon has rolled-out the latest update for the Kindle Android app. And nicely done, the updated Kindle app includes support for Send-to-Kindle functionality. Well, that and support for the Kindle Format 8 and an increased selection of illustrated children's books, comic books, and graphic novels. More specifically, those using Kindle for Android can now “shop for over 1000 children's titles such as Brown Bear and Curious George, and comics such as Batman and Superman.” The update also brings “richer formatting in thousands of other Kindle titles.” And lastly, as for that Send-to-Kindle support, that means Android users can now email documents to their device. “Email documents to your new Send-to-Kindle e-mail address and we deliver them to your device. Documents are archived in the Amazon Cloud and can be re-downloaded to supported Kindle devices and apps.”
With that, if you are using the Kindle app on an Android device, head to the Amazon Appstore or Google Play to grab the latest version. Via [Google Play] and [Amazon Appstore]  
We have seen some details on the LG Cayman recently and it is looking like the handset will soon be available with Verizon Wireless. The folks over at Droid-Life have pegged the release date as March 29th, though the handset will likely land with Verizon as the LG Lucid 4G. Naming aside though, in addition to the release date, it looks like some specs have also come available. The LG Lucid 4G should arrive with goodies to include a 4.0 inch (800 x 480) IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass, 8GB of internal storage and 4G LTE connectivity. In addition, the remaining specs break down as follows; - Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- Dual-core 1.2GHz processor
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 3.0
- 1700 mAh battery
- Measurements: 4.69 x 2.45 x 0.45 inches
- Weight: 5.0 ounces
That being said, we will be on the lookout for something on the price and of course the most important — the official announcement from Verizon. Via [Droid-Life]  
We recently saw AT&T announce that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update was ready and available for the HTC Vivid smartphone. And well, it looks like the carrier also took some time to offer a list of the other handsets that will be getting an update. Bottom line here, AT&T will also be updating the following handsets to Android 4.0; - LG Nitro
- Motorola ATRIX 2
- Motorola ATRIX 4G
- Pantech Burst
- Pantech Element
- Samsung Captivate Glide
- Samsung Galaxy Note
- Samsung Galaxy S II
- Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
Sadly though, while AT&T was forthcoming on which devices, they were not quite as forthcoming on when. At this time the update for those devices are noted as arriving in the “coming months.” Needless to say, the crew here at GadgeTell will let you know as soon as more information comes available. Via [PR Newswire]  
Commodore USA recently announced the all new Amiga Mini computer. And well, they did so with a barebones model that was going to sell for $345 and the full-featured model that was going to sell for $2495. That being said, it looks like the interwebs have spoken and it looks like many must have thought that $2500 price tag was a bit on the high side. Bottom line here, Commodore USA has reacted and perhaps more important — they have significantly lowered the pricing. According to details coming from the folks at Commodore; “Due to an overwhelming outpouring of customer comments, along with those posted on the major tech blogs, the company has listened to the thousands of requests for both lower prices and more choices, and responded today with prices and options that most respondents indicated was in line with other current offerings.”
As for that new pricing, the Amiga Mini is now as low as $1495. Of course, that new lower price comes with some different specs (notably the processor and the amount of RAM). Anyway, the Amiga Mini for $1495 includes the following; - Intel Sandybridge i3-2130 3.4Ghz processor
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 GPU with 1GB DDR3
- 4GB Memory (DDR3 1333MHz)
- Blu-Ray Drive (slot load)
- WiFi(802.11 b/g/n) with 2 Antennae
- 1Tb Serial ATA Hard Drive
- Commodore OS Vision pre-installed plus 2 restore discs
And lastly, those looking to move forward with an order can expect to get free shipping. Via [Commodore USA on Facebook]  
Angry Birds Space came available yesterday, as we had expected, and while the game was released for a wide variety of platforms — there was at least one that is missing. And on top of that, according to details coming from a recent report over on Bloomberg, it will remain missing. That missing platform is Windows Phone and at this time, “Rovio has no plans to release” Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone. That being said, we are certain that there will be some disappointed users here but what it comes down to — Rovio is not offering Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone because they have to “consider the cost of supplying the smaller platforms.” And the real take out here, this is coming from a developer that currently has the number one app for Windows Phone with the regular version of Angry Birds — an app that is selling for $2.99. Simply put, we have to question Windows Phone app sales when a company with a number one app is questioning things. Via [Bloomberg]  
Employers requesting access to a potential employee’s Facebook page has become a controversial issue recently. Some employers are requiring applicants that are being interviewed to either voluntarily give up their password, or log-in to their Facebook account as part of the interview process. Should an applicant refuse, there’s a good chance they will be out of the running for the job. Facebook has responded to these practices and stands firmly behind its users. In a blog post, Facebook says it is against the company’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities for users to give away or request passwords. Employers are not exempt from this rule. “As a user, you shouldn't be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job,” the post reads. “And as the friend of a user, you shouldn't have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don't know and didn't intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job.” Facebook says employers that do this may be opening the door to unforeseen legal complications. For example, if an employer gets into an applicant’s Facebook account, it’s assumed that employer will also discover that applicant is part of a protected group (race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disabilities etc). Should the applicant not get the job, the employer may have to defend itself if the applicant feels they may have been discriminated against. Though they may not realize it, the employee would be responsible for protecting the potentially sensitive information they access on an applicant’s Facebook account. Even though employers are most likely only trying to accurately assess someone’s real personality, digging through private Facebook accounts may not be worth the trouble. Via [Facebook]  
US Cellular just announced availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. This Android tablet as you may have known by now is 4G LTE-capable. With that, it becomes the carrier’s first device under its 4G LTE line-up. US Cellular is offering said tablet for $399.99 after $100 mail-in rebate. A data plan from the carrier is required through a two-year service agreement. Since it’s been awhile since the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was released in the US, allow us to review its key features and specs. The tablet boasts of a 10.1-inch WXGA PLS TFT display (1280 x 800), 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, Android Honeycomb OS, 3.2MP rear camera and 2MP front camera and 32GB of memory. And being a 4G LTE-capable device, it would be best for you to know that US Cellular currently offers 4G LTE coverage in selected cities including Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennesse, Texas and Wisconsin. Via [US Cellular]  | |
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