T-Mobile Makes a Startling Shift From Unlimited To Overages On Their 200MB Data Plan

This could be the end of an era, folks. According to this leaked pic TmoNews managed to get their hands on today, it seems starting August 13th, T-Mobile may be shifting away from their unlimited (but throttled) data on their most affordable 200MB plans. Ironically, this is T-Mobile’s most popular plan and it’s because of this that T-Mobile is forced to move to overages to “remain competitive.” I was able to get my whole family onto the Android bandwagon thanks to this plan’s small $10 price tag.
But not all is doom and gloom. I mean, the overages cap out at around $30 dollars and if you’re currently an unlimited user, your plan should remain the same providing you don’t cancel your line. For everyone else, customers who near their 200MB limit will receive a warning from T-Mobile alerting them to upgrade their plan or face extra charges.
Even if this only affects their 200MB plan, it’s still a little scary seeing this shift from T-Mobile’s much touted unlimited data to overages based upon a plan’s popularity. I know most Android users are data hungry but are any of our readers currently on the 200MB plan? Will this change force you to upgrade your plan, or will you take your money and go elsewhere?
[Via TmoNews]

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LG, Sony drop patent infringement lawsuits, strike cross-licensing agreement

Patent battle between LG and Sony has finally come to an end, now that the companies have decided to lay down their arms and call a truce. In a statement issued today, an LG spokeswoman declared that the two parties have "agreed to drop patent infringement lawsuits against each other," adding that they've struck a cross-licensing deal on the TVs, smartphones and other gadgets in question. A Sony representative confirmed this, but did not offer further details. The spat began back in December, when Sony filed a complaint with the ITC over a handful of allegedly patent infringing LG mobile devices. The Korean manufacturer later struck back with an ITC complaint of its own, targeting Sony products like the Bravia and PlayStation 3. Now, however, the two have apparently learned how to play nice, though details on their settlement remain scarce. As soon as we have them, we'll pass them along.

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Acer Iconia Smart 4.8″ Phone Hybrid Coming This September

We first got wind of the Acer Iconia Smart 4.8″ phone/tablet hybrid back in February at MWC2011. New details have just leaked slating this device to hit the streets coming in September, I’m just hoping its lost some weight and is a little thinner these days.

It was first said to be hitting shelves in April but was delayed due to earthquakes from what we heard. I know that is a long time to wait for those that loved the idea and look of this device with that large 4.8″ display. Don’t worry the time may finally be coming for the Iconia Smart and it should feature the same specs we first saw back at MWC2011.

Those specs include that 4.8″ display with a 1024×480 resolution, a 1 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, rear and front facing cameras as well as Android 2.3 Gingerbread. I will say that I first heard it would come in around $700 dollars or so, no way people are going to pay that when you can get a tablet for much much less so hopefully they’ve rethought the pricing a bit. I like the idea and size of the Acer Iconia Smart but I’m not sure if others do. It may be a little big for a pocket but then users put there Galaxy Tab 7′s in pockets right? What do you guys think?







[via Engadget]

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Google’s Android and Web Services being investigated by the FTC

Federal Trade Commission officials appear to be focusing some antitrust investigations on a few key areas of Google’s business, including not only their web services but also in Android. The FTC recently served Google with broad subpoenas to collect information about how the company conducts business with its Android licensees as well as the entire Oracle situation.

Our sources state that the FTC is working with “several state attorneys general,” looking into “whether Google prevents smartphone manufacturers that use its Android operating system from using competitors’ services. There is also claims that Google grants their own products better placement in search results for things like Google Places and Shopping or even collecting data from competitors like Yelp and using that data on their own applications.
This FTC probe was official back in June, but it appears they are now focusing on these few key areas of Google’s business like we have outlined above. The European Commission also started similar probes late last year but it’s still ongoing. Obviously Google has denied all such claims and mentions that with success you will always have competitors that want to complain.
“We understand that with success comes scrutiny,” said a Google spokeswoman. “We’re happy to answer any questions they have about our business.”
Between all this, the Oracle suits linked to above, and all the recent Patent and IP lawsuits from other various companies like Apple it appears Google’s team of lawyers is plenty busy and might soon be hiring. All of this is still ongoing and no officials from the FTC were able to comment regarding the latest probes into Google. For now we will just have to sit back and watch as everything unfolds. Just this week Apple got the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned from being sold in Europe temporarily so this could be a big problem as things and products all move forward.
[via WSJ]

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HTC Investing $300 Million into Beats Audio, Could this be the big News?

All sorts of suggestions and rumors have been floating around since we first heard HTC was planning a major announcement tomorrow. We quickly heard they had something big they would reveal tomorrow morning to the masses but instead of a press release or something of that nature they are having a conference call live with HTC CEO Peter Chou. We have just heard the news might not be a special new tablet, or the next big smartphone — instead it could be that they are partnering with Beats Audio.

At first I thought we might get the HTC Puccini tablet announcement, or something similar and we still don’t completely know what is coming tomorrow. A report just released by AllthingsD takes things a different direction and they are claiming the announcement could be that HTC has partnered with Beats Audio (yea like Dr. Dre) and will be bringing better audio to smartphones.
This same technology is also in HP Laptops and the new HP Touchpad and now it seems that HTC wants some of the action. They are investing around $300 million into the audio company to help bring a better experience to their smartphones. Whether this is just for smartphones we dont know. Or is HTC planning a HTC aPlayer or something running on Android to compete with the iPod is another possibility. With the help of Beats Audio they might just be headed in a good direction.
We don’t know if this is the huge announcement that is taking place or just another partnership that we will be hearing about in the coming days. Either way make sure you stay tuned as we will be reporting anything we see come from tomorrows announcement by HTC. I’m hoping for something bigger than Beats Audio, but that’s just me.
[via allthingsd]

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HTC to make ‘major news announcement’ tomorrow morning

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HTC announced on Wednesday that it will be making a “major news announcement” on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. HTC’s chief executive officer Peter Chou will make the announcement during a live teleconference from Los Angeles. We’re not sure what the company has brewing but we’ll be on the call tomorrow morning so be sure to tune in to see what HTC has in store.

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GameFly to launch unlimited game download service this fall

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GameFly announced on Wednesday it will soon offer a new service called “Unlimited PC Play” that will allow gamers to download an unlimited amount of games to their Windows or Mac computer. Much like Netflix’s business model, GameFly will provide instant access to more than 8,000 rental discs or more than 1,500 instant downloads for a monthly fee. The service will require a desktop client that will include news, a feed of HD trailers and screen shots of the latest games. GameFly also said there will be a social component that will allow gamers to interact with one another in real-time. A closed beta will begin on September 8th for current GameFly subscribers and a public launch will occur during the holiday season. Read on for the full press release.

GameFly Subscribers Will Have Access to Free PC Games
Digital Client Will Be The One-Stop Shop for Casual and Hardcore Gamers Alike
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — GameFly, Inc., the #1 online video game rental subscription service will be launching a new digital client, the one-stop shop for gamers, this holiday season. The biggest bonus for active GameFly subscribers will be the addition of free “Unlimited PC Play” which allows them to download and play as many Windows/Mac games as they want, from a large and ever-growing collection of titles. Gamers will have unprecedented flexibility in how they want to consume games, whether it is renting discs by mail from a library of over 8,000 titles, downloading any of the more than 1,500 Windows/Mac games for sale, pre-ordering new console and PC releases or buying used games – all managed via the desktop client. Casual to hardcore gamers can get all of their gaming information with up-to-the-minute news, a live feed and archive of HD trailers, videos, and screenshots, and a robust social component for real-time discussions of what’s hot and what’s not. In addition, users will be able to manage their entire library of games across all gaming platforms, as well as create custom libraries to share.
“We’re thrilled to bring digital to the gaming consumer in a meaningful way, as no other service or retailer brings physical and digital gaming together like GameFly,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “With a library of over 9,500 titles from over 300 first- and third-party publishers, GameFly members have the ultimate choice of how, what, when and where they game.”
GameFly will launch their closed beta at a Los Angeles event on September 8, 2011, exclusively for GameFly members. All attendees will walk away with beta codes for themselves and a friend. Gaming enthusiasts not in the Los Angeles area who want to gain access to the private beta can visit www.gamefly.com/beta. The digital client will launch publicly during the holidays, but for a sneak peak now, see the teaser trailer here –www.youtube.com/gamefly.

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AT&T’s first 4G LTE smartphone due by year-end

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AT&T senior vice president of mobility and consumer markets Pete Ritcher took the stage during the Oppenheimer Technology and Communications Conference on Wednesday, where he confirmed that AT&T will launch its first 4G LTE smartphone by the end of this year. Ritcher reaffirmed AT&T’s intention to deploy its LTE network in 15 markets covering 70 million people by the end of 2011, and it hopes to continue its roll-out on a market-by-market basis, Fierce Wireless reported. AT&T will initially only offer laptop cards alongside the new LTE network, and AT&T is expected to launch 4G LTE in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this summer. “We are the only carrier with LTE and HSPA+,” Ritcher said. “When you don’t have LTE you will fall back to faster speeds than our competitors,” he added, noting that Verizon’s 4G customers fall back to the slower EV-DO network when LTE is not available.  

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LG E730 Optimus Sol leaked [video]

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German gadget news site BestBoyZ has gotten its hands on one of LG’s upcoming mid-range handsets, the E730 Optimus Sol. Originally codenamed “Victor,” the device is equipped with a 3.8-inch AMOLED display and a 1GHz processor. The Optimus Sol runs Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and is loaded with LG’s custom Optimus user interface on top. It is unclear when the Optimus Sol will hit the market but rumor has it Vodafone will offer the device in black and silver when it finally launches. Hit the jump for two more images and a full hands-on video.

 

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