Google goes MVNO in Spain with SIM cards for workers

Google has announced that it is in operation in Spain as a MVNO or mobile virtual network operator. Google bought up a bunch of bulk network capacity from existing carriers and then handed the SIMs out to employees for testing. That testing was down with the Nexus S handset and apparently each of the cards accesses one of three various carriers including Orange, Movistar, and Vodafone.

It appears that the move on Google’s part isn’t to set up some sort of mobile network in Spain, but to get the workers it has within the country on a mobile network for voice and data at lower rates. The rumors claim that Google will also be going MVNO in other parts of Europe as well. We have to wonder if the tests are solely to save Google some loot on employee smartphones use or if this is a test of some scheme that it has in mind to become a carrier on its own.
Considering that the Nexus One that launched as the first Android device was sold directly to customers rather than through a carrier, it would be no surprise that the Google might have eyes on being a carrier in some places. With the purchase of Motorola Mobility Google now owns its own operating system, the company to make the hardware, and the wireless network would be the final piece of the puzzle.
[via SlashGear]

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Isis, Google Wallet competitor, to run on Android

In the midst of the recent flurry of Google Wallet news, Isis has announced that they will release an Android application when the payment system is released next year. While this announcement would be more significant if the application were released today, it still gives the application a fighting chance against recently launched Google Wallet.

The marketing head of Isis, Jaymee Johnson, believes that the broad spectrum of compatibility for the payment system will give it the competitive edge over Google Wallet. Isis is backed by Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile, as well as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have spent a total of approximately $100 million to support the system. This in response, no doubt, to Google’s choice of one carrier to debut Google Wallet.
While Isis does have the partnerships in place to size up to its strongest competitor, there are a couple of snags that might hold the service back. First of all, Isis has yet to announce a release date more specific than early 2012. Additionally, in the minimum four-month gap between the launch of Google Wallet and Isis, other credit card companies have been added to Google’s service. Though we have yet to see if the other carriers will follow suit, Google’s heavy influence is sure to play a part in their decisions.
[via FierceMobileContent]

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LG Esteem Leaks – Brings Gingerbread and LTE to MetroPCS

Found on a LG Partner portal, the LG Esteem has been confirmed for MetroPCS. The device will run on MetroPCS’ 3G/LTE network. It will also be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board as well. Though MetroPCS doesn’t sell its devices on discount with contracts, it is also reported that the device will sell for $349 with a $100 mail-in-rebate.

Apart from the inclusion of LTE, the device’s specs are a little low key compared to the other Android powerhouses on the market, but seem sizable to MetroPCS’ existing lineup. The LG Esteem features a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of on-board storage. The LCD display is 4.3 inches with a 720p enabled, 5 megapixel camera on the back. The device also features a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat as well.
MetroPCS had also recently announced that they would be developing 3G service over their existing EV-DO network. The company made bold moves by initially skipping over developing a 3G network in support of quickly building its LTE network. For reasons that they haven’t specified quite yet, MetroPCS had recently announced that they would be upgrading approximately 30% of its EV-DO towers for Rev. A support.
[via AndroidCentral]

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uTorrent adds Android support

Popular BitTorrent client, uTorrent, has just released an alpha build of it’s software, version 3.1. This version brings drag and drop support for Android devices, as well as iTunes, the PS3, and Xbox 360. Users are now able to drag and drop items directly from uTorrent into the devices without having to leave the program itself.

While many of you are coming to the terms with the 5GB soft cap placed on your unlimited data plans, any effort to reduce the amount of bandwidth used on your device is worth it. While torrenting directly on your device would take an overwhelming amount of that now soft-limited space, uTorrent alleviates the stress on bandwidth by supporting drag and drop on downloaded torrents.
Of greater interest however was the suggestion that future builds of uTorrent will support automatic conversion of file types compatable with the device that the file is being copied over to, further simplifying the process. Though uTorrent has said that the inclusion of the convertor is but a teaser, we’re looking forward to future builds that might include the feature.
[via TorrentFreak]

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Oracle claims $1.16 billion in damages from Google

Just when we thought it was over, Oracle has reiterated in a court filing today that the patent infringement by Google’s upon Java patents held by Oracle totals $202 million. They also claimed up to $960 million on the terms of copyright infringement by the internet search giant.

Judge William Alsup, the judge who will preside over the case, had initially suggested that the two companies attempt to produce a mediation before bringing the case before a jury. At the time of that statement, both sides appeared willing to negotiate an agreement outside of court. Unfortunately, Oracle’s court filing suggests that the two groups could not come to terms on the infringement.
Additionally, Oracle cites that the initial claim by Google that Oracle sought damages of approximately $2 billion dollars were incorrect. However, Oracle’s initial damage estimate in the case came in at around $6 billion. The revised estimate is a result of Judge Alsup’s rejection of the initial six billion dollar claim, and Oracle has since reevaluated its claim.
The trial date has been set for October 31st.
[via Reuters]

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Google TV update rolling out today, Honeycomb coming soon

We have seen a few updates for Google TV in the recent past including a large update back in March. Yesterday @GoogleTV tweeted some exciting news for today, and for the future. A decently sized minor update is rolling out now and should be hitting Google TV devices over the next few days. Then they mention something major coming soon.

The important part about this seemingly innocent tweet is they mention a “bigger update” is coming soon in the weeks ahead. This, we all know will be Honeycomb. I guess we don’t “know” this will be Honeycomb but what else is major and coming soon. We’ve seen Honeycomb for Google TV leaked a few times and we mentioned the first major leak back in August, then last week a much better Honeycomb build was also leaked for the Logitech Revue.

What we don’t know is what devices will get this bigger update that they’ve mentioned is coming soon but most likely the Logitech Revue will be one of the first, if not the first device to get updated to Android Honeycomb for Google TV. We have also spotted a few Sony Google powered TV’s also running the update so it’s safe to assume they’ll be on the list too.
Exciting times for Google TV users, I can’t wait to see what Honeycomb and then Ice Cream Sandwich brings to the world of Android. Now might be a good time to go snag the Logitech Revue for just $99.
Bonus Video: Creepy Kevin Bacon





[via Twitter]

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Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE leaks again

Today some new press images have leaked for the upcoming Samsung Stratosphere. Apparently Wirefly accidentally posted a few pictures of the upcoming slider for Verizon on their Pantech Breakout page. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Stratosphere either, but new pictures are a good sign it should be coming to market soon.

First seen in a leaked roadmap we’ve known the Samsung Stratosphere was headed to Verizon for a while now. Then earlier this month it cleared the FCC revealing some neat little treats. It will be powered by Verizon 4G LTE and come with a QWERTY keyboard. Basically this is a nice little mid-range smartphone with the speed and power of Verizon LTE. With 4G LTE hitting 26 new markets in September and now Verizon is offering low priced LTE enabled smartphones things should really take off.

For those that might have missed it the Stratosphere is basically a 4.0″ AMOLED display powered Galaxy S just like previous models only it has a QWERTY keyboard and LTE. Very closely matching the internals of the DROID Charge or the Epic 4G Slider from last year — We have a 1.0 Ghz single-core processor, 512MB of ram, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the rest of the usual goodies.
Still no details on pricing or a release date but with leaks continuing to appear we can only speculate the phone will be coming sometime shortly. We’ve heard early October and will report back when we hear more details on this QWERTY LTE smartphone.
[via Owen Johnston]
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Samsung Galaxy S II dressed in White hits Bell

The Samsung Galaxy S II superphone has been out in Canada and other areas for a while even though it’s just starting to hit the U.S the past two weeks. We have seen a few press images here and there regarding a white version but today Bell Canada has confirmed they’ve got one in the works and it will be available shortly.

We saw a white SGSII headed to the UK in July, and it is now available for a few select carriers outside of the U.S. and Canada. Bell Canada has confirmed that it is coming very soon and will be available for order shortly, here are a few images.
No timeline was given but they did mention “way before” the holiday rush so we are assuming it should be landing soon. Here in the US the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch was recently released  and the AT&T version will hit shelves October 2nd. We haven’t heard anything regarding a white Galaxy S II from any U.S carriers but if other regions are getting it, we will most likely see them appear here too. Stay tuned for more information as I know plenty of readers would love to get there hands on a white SGSII.
[via MobileSyrup]

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Samsung Galaxy S Glide QWERTY Slider with a dual-core heads to Rogers

I know there is still a huge market for QWERTY slider smartphones these days, and for someone waiting for a powerhouse slider this may be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Sadly for now this is only known to be headed to Rogers Canada but it sounds impressive and we have all the details. It may not be named a Galaxy S “II” but don’t let that fool you.


Shown in the image below the Glide features an impressive 4 row slide-out QWERTY keyboard with big and well spaced keys, as well as dedicated home, menu, back, and search buttons on the outer edges. We mentioned this is titled with the Galaxy S name and it appears Samsung chose not to call this a Galaxy S II phone but we aren’t fully clear why.

They may have left off the II in the name but they didn’t forget that second processing core. We have an unknown 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a 4.0″ AMOLED display (no 4.3 or 4.5″ here), as well as that spacious 4 row keyboard, an 8 MP camera on the rear with LED flash and a 1.3 MP camera around the front for those partaking in video chat. Running on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread and powered by Samsung’s Touch Wiz UX this looks to be a great well rounded phone.
No pricing was given by Samsung or Rogers but it should be available on the Canadian carrier just in time for the Holidays.
[via MobileSyrup]

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