Walmart dances around Apple’s in-app purchase rules with VUDU web app for iPad

On Wednesday, Walmart subsidiary VUDU launched a new iPad-accessible web app that allows iPad users to stream more than 20,000 movies and television shows directly from the Web. iPad owners don’t have to use iTunes and simply need to navigate to http://VUDU.com for access to rentals and purchases. “VUDU’s launch on the iPad plays into that vision as we’re committed to offering the VUDU experience on as many devices as possible so customers can shop for and access their favorite movies and TV shows however they want, whenever they want,” general manager of VUDU Edward Lichty said. Customers can add a VUDU web app to their home screen by clicking the “Add to Home Screen” button once they have accessed the website. Read on for the full...

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Samsung Galaxy S Plus hands-on and benchmarks

All eyes may be on the Samsung Galaxy S II right now, but the Korean company believes there’s some life left in its best-selling predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy S Plus GT-I9001 was officially announced at the end of March, a 1.4GHz upgrade to the original Hummingbird phone, and Android Community caught up with Vodafone UK today to grab some playtime and run some early benchmarks.Outwardly, there’s little to differentiate the 119g Galaxy S Plus from the Galaxy S before it: the same plastic casing, 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, reasonably slimline chassis and 5-megapixel camera on the back. You also get the same front-facing camera, 8GB of internal storage – with a microSD card slot to boost that by up to 32GB – and Android 2.3 Gingerbread...

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Supersonic Released In The Android Market – Get Your Adrenaline Fix

Supersonic was released onto the Android Market a few days ago and looks like a good time waster for those looking to get their speed fix. Gameplay is simple. You’re placed into a tunnel of light where you speed through a course filled with a techno soundtrack, gaining speed boosts, all while using your phone’s accelerometer to maneuver in and out of obstacles. Not as easy as it sounds, trust me. Speaking of speed, the game does share some eerie similarities to another Android favorite, Speedx 3D with the only difference being the higher amount of polish and eye candy Supersonic has over the competition. Of course, this graphical flare will come at the cost of performance for some older devices so keep that in mind. The developer shouldn’t...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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HTC to make ‘major news announcement’ tomorrow morning

TweetHTC 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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