Google investors fear long battle against feds

 

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO  - Larry Page should put in a call to Bill Gates.
Microsoft Corp's famous founder may know better than anyone else what the Google Inc chief executive would face if he engages in a protracted legal battle against U.S. antitrust regulators.
Google said on Friday that the Federal Trade Commission has started a formal investigation into its business, raising concerns among investors about a lengthy, distracting probe and potential legal action.

T-Mobile dealers concerned about life after AT&T deal

The Wall Street Journal did a little digging and found out that many independent T-Mobile dealers have something to worry about if the merger with AT&T goes through. The latter has said that some of the savings they expect to have after the deal closes will come from closing stores and rationalizing advertising and back office personnel. That goes with the territory after any merger, and while AT&T has said that it looks forward to working with T-Mobile's independent dealers "in a manner that is mutually beneficial", a realistic look at the situation shows that many T-Mobile stores are near an AT&T location.

According to the WSJ, AT&T and T-Mobile together operate 9,200 stores and 41% of AT&T locations are within 1 mile or less of a T-Mobile location. The West is where the worst congestion is, especially in cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. That information comes from real-estate firm CoStar Group, paid by the WSJ to research the locations of both carriers.

Despite the merger, T-Mobile is still planning on adding over 200 independently run stores this year, and to help those dealers, the company is paying the leases on some of the locations to help the independent owner alleviate some of the risk. Overall, T-Mobile has 2,000 company owned stores and 1,100 independently run locations. AT&T has 2,300 company owned stores and 3,800 independent ones.

Different parameters will determine which stores will be closed or contracted. Todd Heiner owns 80 T-Mobile stores through his Express Locations LLC, and thinks he has a better shot at keeping his locations as opposed to someone running 5 stores. Obviously, though, a store's performance is of utmost interest. Doug Chartier, T-Mobile’s senior vice present for nation accounts and business sales, says that if the deal closes, AT&T is going to look at the portfolio of T-Mobile locations and ask, "...what are the ones with the highest returns and the highest value?"

Whatever AT&T decides, you know that for third party owners of T-Mobile locations, it is not going to be pretty.

source: WSJ(Sub. Rqd) via TmoNews

41% of AT&T stores have a T-Mobile location within 1 mile away

AT&T contributed to the campaign of Democrats who support the AT&T/T-Mobile deal

Out of 72 Democratic lawmakers who signed a letter to the FCC and the Justice Department in favor of the AT&T acquisition of  T-Mobile, a large majority of them-66-have received campaign contributions from AT&T. The amount contributed added up to more than $500,000 and was donated through Political Action Committees associated with AT&T.

That might not be as bad as it looks, because after all, the company remains the largest corporate contributor to Congress over the last 20 years. During the last election cycle, AT&T passed out some money to 391 of the 435 members of the House and spread the largess to 78 of the 100 Senators in D.C.

The two top recipients of AT&T's cash were House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio-R), who received $77,300 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nevada-D), who received $36,150. Ironically, neither of the two were among the 72 lawmakers who signed the letter. For a list of the lawmakers who signed the letter and received a contribution from an AT&T related PAC, click on the source link.

source: PaidContent via TmoNews

Nokia's CEO ready to abandon MeeGo, even if the N9 becomes a hit

You would think that with the reception received by the introduction of the Nokia N9, the company's CEO would be raving about the MeeGo OS that powers the device charged with keeping the Finnish firm alive. But instead, Stephen Elop is already looking beyond the N9 to the Windows Phone series of Nokia smartphones.

The Nokia N9, trusted with turning around the fortunes of Nokia

Elop says that the N9 depends more on the Qt application framework more than the MeeGo OS. But the Qt framework allows applications to be programmed for three of the OS used by Nokia, but not for the Windows Phone series . And that means that Nokia cannot go back to MeeGo. But that doesn't faze the executive, who says that Nokia's future is Windows Phone. Elop says, "I have taken part in the conversations with the teleoperators and I have been part of the consumer test groups. The feedback has been extremely positive and I am sure that the Windows Phone system will be a great success."

As for those Nokia employees who fear that Nokia will become a subcontractor for Microsoft, Elop rejects that sentiment. He promises that, "Nokia will continue its research and development on the software side, as well as in services and equipment design. We will build inventions for our Windows phones that will make us stand apart from our competitors and bring significant additional advantage to our application developers." The CEO also says that he receives emails from the software R&D team and says they are motivated.

While Elop might feel this way now, we wonder what would happen should the Nokia N9 become a mega-hit globally. From the sounds of it though, even if that should occur, as far as Nokia's CEO is concerned, MeeGo is MeeGone.

source: HelsinginSanomat via Engadget

Android Market now breaks down user reviews

Always looking to improve the usability of reviews in the Android Market, Google has added a box that breaks down the ratings an app receives from users. The new statistics reveal the number of users who gave an app a certain number of stars, ranging from 1 to 5. This way, you can read beyond the overall average number of stars received by a certain app to know the true feelings of those who have installed the software on their phone.

The new statistics, found under the screenshot of the app, would seem to be useful for those apps that have not received much feedback and where a few well-placed stars could change the average score. Besides, the average score doesn't reveal what people are thinking above or below that average. Knowing how many users have ranked an app 1-star or 5-stars could make the difference in whether or not you decide to install it. Of course, you can quickly uninstall something that you don't like and get a refund, but you will have wasted the one thing in this world that no one gets a refund on...time.

source: AndroidCentral

The Android Market now offers a breakdown of star ratings

89% of world's tablet based digital traffic comes from the Apple iPad

How many ways can you divide data into bite sized morsels for the public to digest? The gang at comScore have come up with what they call the Device Essentials analytics service. The study uses "census-level information from tagged web page content" to break down digital traffic by device, and it is a fascinating chart to study. According to the firm's first report, the Apple iPad dominates digital traffic globally with a whopping 89% of tablet produced traffic.

In some countries, the Apple iPad is close to having the highest percentage of non-computer digital traffic. For example, in Canada where the Apple iPhone accounts for 34.6% of such traffic, the iPad is the source of 33.5%. In Brazil, the iPad actually leads, accounting for 31.8% of digital traffic in that country while its stablemate, the iPhone, is responsible for 21%. The opposite is seen in Singapore. There, Apple's touchscreen device produces 51.9% of the non-computer digital traffic versus only 21.6% emanating from Apple's tablet.

While the iPhone produces the most non-computer digital traffic in most countries, the tables are turned in the U.S. where 35.6% are produced by Android phones and 23.5% by the Apple iPhone. When it comes to tablets, though, the iPad dominates, leading in all 13 countries included in the survey. In the U.S., Apple's tablet had a commanding lead over Android tablets with traffic shares of 21.8% and .6% respectively.

Another interesting stat brought up by comScore is the fact that 47.5% of iPhone internet traffic comes on a Wi-Fi network while 21.7% of Android traffic is routed over Wi-Fi. 91.9% of traffic sourced from the Apple iPad was Wi-Fi based while that figure for Android tablets is 65.2%

source: AppleInsider

A report from comScore breaks down non-computer digital traffic by device

Buy an HP TouchPad, get 50 GB of cloud storage

HP has a pretty steep uphill battle ahead of them, especially with their upcoming TouchPad tablet. The iPad is still the dominant force in the tablet market, and even the Android juggernaut is only slowly gaining market share. Meanwhile, HP has yet to prove that webOS can be a commercial success on any device, let alone a tablet. But, of course, HP doesn't need to let the merits of webOS stand on their own in order to pull in users, they can always give stuff away for free.

In an interesting deal, TouchPad buyers will be getting 50 GB of free cloud storage from Box.net. This deal was unearthed by a Walmart employee who was just playing around with a demo unit of the TouchPad. Box.net offers a lot of really cool features including integration with Google Apps, Salesforce CRM, NetSuite, and a host of other services through powerful API tools.

Unfortunately, there's no way to know how long this deal may last. Box.net users get 5 GB of storage for free, but the 50 GB plan is $20 per month. So, while the storage may be free at first, it seems like something that you'd have to pay for eventually if you want to keep it.

source: PreCentral via Geek.com

Mystery Motorola Android model appears

A picture made its way into the in hopper at Pocket Now, showing a blurry snapshot of what appears to be a mystery Motorola Android device. With no visible buttons on the hardware, we could be looking at capacitive buttons that are dark with the power off. Or maybe the device has no buttons-which could be a sign that the unit is running Ice Cream Sandwich. The ribbon protruding from the model means that the mystery phone is being tested and Pocket Now noticed a "horizontal seam at the bottom" which probably means that a sliding physical QWERTY keyboard will be on board when the model is finished.

Does this mystery device have a DROID-esque appearance to it, and is it just the angle of the photo that makes the screen look so big? Don't keep us in suspense too long, Motorola, give us some details on this mystery model; inquiring minds want to know.

source: Pocketnow via AndroidandMe

This mystery Motorola device could be running Ice Cream Sandwich

Video Upload and Pages comes to Facebook for Android with new update to version 1.6

Video Upload is now on Facebook for Android

If you were busy all day, you might not have noticed the Facebook update in the Android Market waiting for you to download. Facebook for Android version 1.6 brings some new features including an improved News Feed, Video Upload and Pages support.

The Video Upload feature allows you to take a video with your device and upload it to your Facebook page. The News Feed will now load more types of posts and with the new Pages support, when you click on a page that appears on your News Feed, you can browse through it from within the app.

Once you've updated your Facebook app, let us know what you think. The Android version of the app is still not exactly the same as the iOS one as the latter allows you to search for a Page quickly while the Android variant requires you to look through your News Feed to find a page. But with each update, progress is being made.

source: AndroidGuys

New estimate using free game downloads suggests 429,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks sold

The other day, when RIM reported its Q1 earnings, the company said that it had sold 500,000 units of the BlackBerry PlayBook. This figure was a rare positive for the Canadian based firm, although there was some question about the choice of words used by the manufacturer. RIM said that of that figure, 200,000 was sold into distribution channels and 250,000 to 300,000 were sold directly to end-users. The main question is, how many of the devices sold to distribution channels ended up in the hands of end-using buyers and how many are still collecting dust in the backroom of a store.

A more precise way of measuring sales was put forth by Ebscer, the developer behind free PlayBook game Pixelated. Using the number of free downloads of Pixelated, Ebscer extrapolated the figure to estimate that 429,000 units of the BlackBerry PlayBook were sold as of the June 15th date of Ebscar's post. Although the game developer admits that some of this figure is based on assumptions and guess work, considering that Pixelated is one of the top ten most popular downloads on RIM's tablet, Ebscer says that he has more accurate data to work with than most when making an estimate of PlayBook sales.

While we have to be clear that this is just another estimate, it might be a more realistic way of coming up with a figure. If the BlackBerry PlayBook did sell 429,000 units up to June 15th, it would just be another number coming in slightly under expectations for RIM which has been what life has been all about recently for the BlackBerry manufacturer.

source: Ebscer via BlackBerryCool

Groupon 1.5 for Android adds some international locations to the deals

It looks like the deals just won't stop. For quite a while now, Android users in the US have been able to use their Groupon app to find and redeem good deals on everything from restaurants, to tours, to hair dye, and sweet rainbow bangles. Now, the fun is going international.

Groupon has updated their Android app to add support for Groupon in France, Germany, UK and Brazil. So, now users in those countries will have easy access to the deals. The Groupon app has a couple of different ways to find deals. First, you can check the featured deals, or the list of daily deals. Or, there is also an option to find the closest deals to your location based on various categories including whether you want to eat, get pampered, go out, or take a class.

The update is available now in the Android Market.

Android Market link

Skype coming to iPad soon

The second we knew that there would be a front-facing camera on the iPad 2, we all knew that Skype would get there eventually. Skype for the iPad isn't out just yet, and it doesn't have a set release date, but it looks as though it will be coming out very soon.

First, there was a video leaked previewing Skype for the iPad (below), then a Skype executive confirmed the imminent release when questioned by The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW). Rick Osterioh, Skype Vice President of Consumer and Product Design, told TUAW that Skype for the iPad is awaiting approval to the app store right now.

Skype for the iPad will be largely what we would expect, though there will be a few features that aren't there right out of the gate, most notably would be file sharing capability. Osterioh has high hopes for the new market that this app will open. He said that the quick adoption of the iPhone version of the app has given them confidence in the upcoming iPad version.

source: TUAW

Leaked Sprint roadmap shows releases for Q3

A leaked view of Sprint's roadmap for Q3 (July-September) 2011 is proving to be fairly interesting. The roadmap includes two Sasmung devices, two BlackBerry devices and a bunch more.

According to This Is My Next, the leaked roadmap confirms that the Samsung Epic 2 will be coming soon. The Epic 2 is looking to be a modest replacement over the original Epic 4G, including: a 4" screen, a 1.2 GHz single-core Hummingbird CPU, an 8 MP camera, and of course the full slide-out QWERTY keyboard as the original.

The other Samsung device is listed only as a "full touch 4G" device, which doesn't really help point the way. It could easily be referring to the Samsung Galaxy S II (or as it's known on Sprint, the Galaxy Within), which should be hitting American shores in that time frame (and hopefully closer to the beginning of that time frame). However, it could just as easily be referring to the Samsung Conquer 4G, which is also due out next month.

On the BlackBerry side of things, the roadmap includes the Bold 9930 (aka the Bold Touch), which will have the CDMA radio for Sprint, but also include a GSM radio for international roaming. But, more interestingly, the leak refers to a new push-to-talk BlackBerry coming along to supplant the far-past-its-prime Curve 8350i, which is the last Sprint BlackBerry to feature push-to-talk.

What do you guys think? Is this enough to get excited about if you're a Sprint customer?

source: This Is My Next

Best Buy's release date for the Motorola DROID 3 is set for July 13?

Even though the Motorola DROID 3 is official over in China, there is still a good amount of people wondering when it’ll land here stateside – especially when the original model was monumental in shifting Android to a whole new level

At this point, we’ve seen and absorbed a good amount of leaks regarding the Motorola DROID 3, but the latest one gives us the delightful news that it’ll be arriving right at mid-summer. Looking at the leaked shot of Best Buy’s internal system, it shows that the big box retailer is positioned to have stock of the handset by July 13th, which happens to be a Thursday. With less than a month away, it should give most people an adequate amount of time to think about whether or not they should pick something else instead.

However, knowing that it’s featuring a sizable 4” display, dual-core OMAP 4430 CPU, 8-megapixel auto-focus camera, 1080p video capture, Gingerbread, and an improved keyboard, it’s really hard not to like this offering.

source: Droid Attic via Engadget

Samsung gets home Court advantage with Apple's new law suit filed in South Korea

On Friday, Apple announced that it is moving its patent litigation against Samsung to the latter's home country of South Korea. Steve Park, a spokesman for Apple Korea confirmed that a law suit was filed in Seoul Central District Court. Apple Korea also released a statement saying that it is no coincidence that Samsung's products resemble the Apple iPhone and iPad from the hardware, to the UI and even the packaging. The company said that it must defend its intellectual properties when someone steals them. Samsung replied that it too would defend its intellectual property.

The Suit was filed June 22nd and claims that Samsung's Galaxy S model copied the design of the third-generation Apple iPhone. Apple started this legal fight against Samsung back in April when it first sued the South Korean based Samsung in U.S. Court, claiming that "Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products." Samsung returned the volley with suits against Apple in Korea, Japan, Germany and the U.S.

Since then, Apple has requested to see Samsung's prototypes of upcoming smartphones and tablets, a request granted by the courts. In response, Samsung demanded to see Apple's work in progress on the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, a request characterized as harassment by Apple-and the courts agreed, disallowing Samsung's request.

Apple and Samsung have a complicated relationship. Besides suing each other, Samsung does supply parts for Apple products including the iPhone. Last year, Apple was Samsung's second largest customer with orders totaling $5.7 billion. According to China's Commercial Times, Apple might replace Samsung with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company with the introduction of the A6 chip in 2012.

source: AppleInsider

NBC Nightly News released in WP7 Marketplace

The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace already has a few quality news apps from big name sources like USA Today, BBC News, and AP News, but now NBC Nightly News (yes, with Brian Williams) has been added to the list of apps available.

The NBC Nightly News app will be a data hog because it is highlighting video as much as possible, so be sure you know your mobile data restrictions before diving too deep into this app. The app uses a five-page hub so you can easily scroll through a list of categories, latest videos, the full broadcast video and even Brian Williams' blog.

The NBC Nightly News app also allows you to share any story or video on your Facebook wall. Definitely looks like an app worth checking out.

source: WPCentral
Zune link

MTV News hits the WP7 Marketplace

Some say that life wouldn't be complete without easy access to news, videos and photos about pop stars, musicians and pseudo-celebrities. For those of you out there with that world view, and a Windows Phone 7 handset, now you can get all that and more from the MTV News app in the WP7 Marketplace.

The MTV News app promises exclusive video, updated throughout the day, news articles, blogs for MTV News, shows, music, movies and games, as well as exclusive photos. Even better is the app will allow you to customize your news feed so you can make sure that you only get stories about the celebrities that you care about. If you want, it could be all Bieber all day, or maybe you want a bit of Rihanna with a side of Robert Pattinson. It's all up to you.

Given the shows that air on MTV these days, this app may actually be a better place to get your pop culture news than the actual TV channel, so it might be worth a try.

source: WPCentral
Zune link

FoodSpotting satiates the WP7 Marketplace hunger

Foodies rejoice! FoodSpotting has finally made its way to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. FoodSpotting is one of those weird little hybrid apps that has garnered a strong following, and is generally pretty awesome. Essentially, FoodSpotting is a mashup of Yelp and Instagram, but focusing on food. The idea isn't just to find good restaurants around you, but to find exactly the food you want.

FoodSpotting allows you to take pictures of your meals and share them with mini-reviews of the restaurant that you're at and also share foods that others have recommended. But, the big value is in finding new places. You can find highly rated and recommended restaurants near your location, search for a specific kind of food, or just browse. You can browse restaurants and see the photos others have taken, and even bookmark foods and restaurants that you want to try later.

If you enjoy exploring new restaurants, and finding new food, or even just sharing your own food experiences, FoodSpotting is a solid app that already has a good following of users and a great database of locations to draw from.

source: WPCentral
Zune link

Best Buy's web site reveals $299 price for the Motorola TRIUMPH

Virgin Mobile customers surely have something to be happy about, especially when the carrier is going to be graced with a beauty of a smartphone in the Motorola TRIUMPH, but up until now, its pricing has been unknown.

Well, Best Buy is currently accepting pre-orders for the Froyo filled Android smartphone, but more importantly, they reveal its $299.99 no-contract pricing. Depending on how you look at it, the pricing is indeed fitting for a handset packing along some better than average hardware seen with most prepaid smartphones. In terms of delivery, the previously mentioned release date of July 19th seems likely since Best Buy has it down with an estimated arrival date of July 19th as well with expedited shipping.

With less than a month away, you better be saving up some serious cash if you truly want to be one of the first to experience this larger than life no-contract Android smartphone.

source: Best Buy via Android Central

Google Sites get automatic mobile rendering

One of the leser known Google properties is Google Sites, which is a free website hosting service like Wordpress, or the granddaddy of them all, the dead-but-not-forgotten Geocities. Google doesn't give much press to Sites, but it's a nice service, especially for those looking for an easy way to set up their own website. Now, Google is adding a nice feature to Sites: automatic mobile rendering.

Google Sites users should keep in mind that this feature must be turned on in the settings menu, but once turned on Google will automatically render your webpage for easier viewing on mobile browsers. The most noticeable differences will be in: aligning the header layout and top bar, matching the site width to the device, and smart handling of sidebars, navigation and dropdown links. When building your website there will also be a new option to preview your site as a mobile viewer.

On top of that, Google has also made it easier for Sites users to find their data while on mobile devices by adding mobile site search, site list, and browse sites categories.

Automatic mobile rendering is designed to work on iOS 3+ and Android 2.2+.

source: Google Docs Blog

LG Girl tweets that news is coming soon on the Gingerbread update for the T-Mobile G2x

Remember those days when the T-Mobile G2x looked like it was going to be one of the hottest handsets of the summer? With the speed of a dual-core processor under the hood, a nice sized 4 inch display and featuring both a rear and front-facing camera, the device looked like it was ready to capture a large number of T-Mobile users and convert those from other carriers. And while some of this demand did show up, forcing a price hike to keep the device in stock, and ultimately getting the phone pulled from T-Mobile's web site, owners of the model have been waiting for the update to Android 2.3.4 not only for the new features like gTalk, but also to fix the bugs that have made the device hard to use for some of its owners.

The last time we heard from LG about an update for the T-Mobile G2x was back in May when we passed along to you the manufacturer's promise to have the Gingerbread update sent out to T-Mobile G2x owners by this summer. With the clock staring to tick with Tuesday's start of the new season, a tweet from the LG Girl in response to a question, tells everyone that the update is still a huge focus for LG and that, she says, is a promise. Hmm. She also says that she will give out more details in a few days. Double Hmm.

Even if the update is sent out in the next few days, it might be too late to turn things around for the T-Mobile G2x, especially with the sizzling hot HTC Sensation 4G now available from the carrier. Missed opportunities like this have just got to hurt the executives of the manufacturer.

source: Twitter(@the LGgirl) via TmoNews

The LG Girl says she will have some news for us on in the next few days on the Gingerbread update for the T-Mobile G2x

Affordable Huawei Sonic boasts NFC capabilities & Gingerbread; coming to Turkey

When you hear Huawei’s name, you can generally expect to find smartphones that are inexpensively priced – while boasting some reasonable specs. Again, we’re seeing them sticking with the trend as the Huawei Sonic is an affordable Gingerbread flavored smartphone packed with NFC capabilities.

First and foremost, the handset is actually debuting in Turkey as the T20, but more importantly, it features an impressive price point of only €150 ($215). Considering that it features a 3.5” capacitive touchscreen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and offers all the cool things with NFC, it’s rather hard not to like this one since it doesn’t take much out of your pockets to pick one up. Even though we still find very few smartphone with NFC capabilities on board, it’s seemingly refreshing to see the Huawei Sonic arriving on the scene – even better when it’s super cheap!

Still, there is no word if Huawei will actually bring this handset stateside, but in any event, you can always opt to import this one if you really want it.

source: Engadget via AndroidGuys

Update for Twitter for BlackBerry v2.0 Beta adds support for trending topics & more

Continuing their efforts in providing the best social networking experience with their handsets, RIM released an update to their popular Twitter for BlackBerry v2.0 Beta app.

Most recently, we saw v2.0 of Twitter for BlackBerry graduating from beta, but now we’re seeing an update that packs along some new features and enhancements to further its experience. Specifically, it features a lighter color scheme, the ability to compose a tweet by accessing the Compose Tweet bar located below the navigation bar, support for local trending topics, easy access to user profiles, and performance enhancements that improve its stability.

If you’re a member, you can actually download the update for Twitter for BlackBerry v2.0 Beta right now through the BlackBerry BetaZone. Naturally, this latest software update goes to show the kind of commitment RIM has in terms of offering the best Twitter experience with their platform.

source: RIM

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is coming to the UK on August 4

US consumers are getting their fill of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as we speak, but as we’ve reported earlier in the month, the European launch of the Honeycomb flavored tablet has been pushed back to August due to alleged Android 3.1 issues.

Even though it’s still unclear if Android 3.1 is indeed causing a ruckus with the tablet, it’s now confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be launching on August 4 in the UK. Seeing that we’re just winding down with June and still have the entire month of July ahead of us, that August 4th release date undoubtedly appears to be lengthy – still, both the 3G and Wi-Fi models of the tablet will be available then. However, pricing has yet to be revealed, but we’ll surely know more as the time gets closer.

Conversely, if you’re a UK consumer eying the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, it’s still on pace to launch some time later in the year – albeit, no release date is attached to it, but it’s rumored to come in September. With the wait, are you still going to be interested in either tablets after hearing about some other affordable Honeycomb options?

via Samsung Hub

Timbaland tweets Windows Phone 7 with Xbox Live is "dope"

Not to be outdone by HP with its star-studded celebrity webOS campaign, Windows Phone 7 is recruiting famous people for marketing purposes in its own turn.

Music producer Timbaland, who is behind names like Nelly Furtado, Keri Hilson or Justin Timberlake, seems to be mesmerized by the ability to play Xbox Live games on a phone, in a tweet aimed to tout the virtues of Verizon's HTC Trophy:

Microsoft is rumored to step up marketing and awareness about the Windows Phone platform, especially improving on carrier relationships, which, as some secret shopper experiences confirmed, leave much to be desired.

The real big guns marketing is probably being saved for when Nokia Windows Phones and the second generation of WP7 handsets with the Mango update hit later this year, but scoring Timbaland is not bad for a start. Perhaps "Talking on the phone" was the reason he scored the HTC Trophy promo, this song is so made for a smartphone TV ad.

via WMPoweruser

Tweet confirms summer release for the Motorola DROID Bionic

One of the most anticipated devices since the CES will finally get launched this summer, according to a tweet from the manufacturer. Motorola Mobility confirmed its intention to release the Motorola DROID Bionic sometime this summer. Apparently, though, final form factor and software is still in flux as the tweet alludes to further updates to the device that are being worked on now.

As we reported, the latest rumored specs for the Motorola DROID Bionic include a large 4.3 inch qHD display with Android 2.3.4 running the show. That means that gTalk will be supported on the handset. An improved version of the BLUR UI is also anticipated to be on the final version of the phone with some 3D aspects to it. The DROID Bionic should be Motorola's first LTE enabled device for Verizon.

Summer officially started on Tuesday, so Motorola has about 3 months to deliver the goods. That means that the Motorola DROID Bionic should rear its head sometime in the next 90 days. The question for those Verizon customers with a new phone update burning a hole in their pocket is, do I upgrade to one of the currently available new handsets, or do I wait for the DROID Bionic? Let us know what you are going to do by dropping some words in the comment box below.

source: AndroidAuthority

This tweet shows Motorola's committment to deliver the DROID Bionic this summer

China Mobile's 600 million subscribers may be able to get the iPhone 5 in September, rumor says

This might not directly concern you, but the rumor of China Mobile landing an agreement for the iPhone 5, which was reiterated to come this September on the carrier, appeared on a Chinese microblog yesterday stirring the minds of the industry. The Asian country has the biggest market in the world with mind boggling number of over 600 million subscribers. Liu Yand, a verified user of Chinese Twitter lookalike Sina Weibo, working as a China Mobile salesperson, wrote:

“The day is coming soon. The days of changing our phone numbers…are numbered…China Mobile is to make a final decision to introduce the iPhone 5 in September.”

The weibo message was later pulled, giving even more food for thought. In the next few hours it managed to get nearly 1,000 replies, but if true this might mean that an even earlier launch for the US market is possible. It's still however just a rumor, but it might be an indication for the prospects of iPhone sales. While China is currently the second largest Apple market in the world, Cupertino is selling to only a fraction of its hundreds millions of mobile subscribers.

But the iPhone is facing a number of difficulties in China, a market where localization matters a lot. China Mobile for once operates a TD-SCDMA 3G network, unique to the country and not compatible with current versions of Apple's handset. So currently users have to actually use the 3G offerings from China Mobile's top competitor, China Unicom, which in turn requires them to change their number. China Unicom first started selling the iPhone 4 in September 2010.

Recently, Apple COO Tim Cook was spotted at China Mobile, which hints that a deal might be closer to completion. The carrier's official media representative denied comments for the press, but confirmed that the carrier is in talks with Cupertino and will gladly offer LTE-equipped iPhones when those are available. 

source: AppleInsider

More images of the WP7 Nokia Sea Ray surface, Nokia outsourcing production to speed things up

Another image emerged of the WP7-running Nokia N9 lookalike, dubbed Sea Ray, after it leaked semi-officially yesterday. All indicators point to this one being in the first batch of Nokia Windows Phone devices that are to come this year.

Since the N9 shell is buttonless in the front, a developer pointed out that in such cases they sometimes emulate the back, search and home keys on the screen, and what looks like a Photoshopped area on the picture, might actually be sticky paper to imitate capacitive buttons, that's why it doesn't reflect light as the rest of the screen. We learn something new everyday, and we are always ones that appreciate a stopgap low-tech solution when we see it.

Or, if you want to see a pretty render if the Nokia Sea Ray, there is that too - an enthusiast work, this mock render below on the right imagines how the Sea Ray might look like in promo pictures. The guys from used the Nokia N9 official pics, and reshuffled the buttons according to what we saw in the leak yesterday.

Nokia Sea Ray	Nokia Sea Ray mockup render

The production of the Nokia N9-esque handset with Windows Phone 7 is allegedly been outsourced to the juggernaut ODM Compal, which will also make the handsets of the most recent WP7 licensees - Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu.

Not that Nokia doesn't have plenty of manufacturing facilities, but until now these have been mostly churning Symbian handsets with the respective  chipsets, whereas Compal has experience with the Qualcomm silicon that Microsoft demands to be used in its Windows Phone devices. Judging from this desire to speed production up, and the recent deluge of leaks, Nokia apparently wants to leave the impression it is to out a Nokia Windows Phone as soon as possible, and still make it different enough to stick.

source: WPCentral, SlashGear & DownrightWireless