After a solid CES, Asus promises to wow us at MWC

Although Asus has shown off some interesting products during CES 2013, it has revealed it’s getting ready for an even greater showing at Mobile World Congress next month.

Asus has had a solid showing at CES 2013, unveiling its new Transformer Book TX300, the Transformer AIO and its Boxee-like Qube Google TV gadget. However, it hasn’t launched any smartphones, nor any dedicated low-cost Android tablets either; does it just not have anything new for us?

Not according to a spokesperson speaking to the Inquirer, it’s that the company is saving itself for Mobile World Congress, the all-mobile trade show which begins at the end of February in Barcelona, Spain. This is hardly a unique stance either, as LG even said the same thing during its press conference. Exactly what Asus saving for the event wasn’t divulged, but we’re promised MWC will be “huge” for the company.

So what could it have in store for us? One interesting new product rumored just before Christmas is a version of its hugely popular Nexus 7 tablet, just without the Nexus branding. Referred to as the ME172V, the Android 4.1 tablet may wear a $99 price tag in the U.S., although a $129 to $149 price is perhaps more likely. It’s specs are basic though, a non-IPS screen could have a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution for example, and it probably won’t have the Tegra 3 processor inside.

Anything Asus has on the smartphone side will, at the moment, come as a surprise. After all, the only Android phone it currently produces is the 4.7-inch screen model which makes up part of the quirky Padfone 2. Could it be bringing that device out as a standalone model? Or could it be merrily leaping aboard the 5-inch, 1080p tablet/smartphone hybrid train?

The company has said Android, “Remains a priority,” so while Windows 8 featured in Asus’ line-up at CES, MWC could turn out to be an all-Android affair. We’ll find out more at the show, which begins on February 25.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/asus-teases-a-strong-showing-at-mobile-world-congress/

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Google lets sleeping dogs lie in Microsoft patent dispute

Ah, the dove of peace

Google has dropped two patent claims it was pursuing against Microsoft after the Redmond company refused to pay royalties.

The claims relate to H.264 video compression patents held by Motorola Mobility, which Microsoft refused to cough up for because it said Motorola/Google was asking for far more than the patents were worth.

Under the freshly inked FTC agreement announced last week, Google has to abide by the friendly-sounding FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms, meaning its royalty payments have to be fair.

You've got a FRAND in me

If Google has withdrawn these patent claims because of the new FTC deal, which seems likely, there could be more patent disputes leaving the courtroom in the near future.

Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel said that the company hopes that Google "will now withdraw similar claims pending in other jurisdictions" and leave them the hell alone.

Could this signal the beginning of the end of the tech patent wars? Until someone can rein Apple and Samsung in, we suspect not.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-lets-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-microsoft-patent-dispute-1123884

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Walmart offering iPhone 5 with Straight Talk prepaid plans from Friday

Walmart is to begin offering the iPhone 5 unlocked on a $45-a-month Straight Talk prepaid plan. Consumers can pay off the $649 device at $25 a month if they sign up for a Walmart credit card. The iPhone 4 will also be available.

If you fancy an iPhone 5 but don’t like the idea of being tied in to a lengthy service contract and don’t want to fork out a lump sum for an unlocked version, Walmart may be able to help.

The retail giant announced on Tuesday it’s about to begin offering Apple’s popular handset with Straight Talk prepaid plans. Up to now, the device has been available from Walmart with a two-year contract.

The deal, which starts January 11, gives consumers the chance to pick up an unlocked 16GB iPhone 5 for $649 (the same price as Apple is selling it for) on a $45-a-month no-contract deal with unlimited nationwide talk, text and data. For an additional $15 it’ll throw in unlimited international calling “to more than 1,000 destinations in Mexico, Canada, India, and other countries.”

An 8GB iPhone 4 for $449 will also be available, together with the same Straight Talk plans. It’s something of a mystery why Walmart isn’t offering the iPhone 4S instead of, or as well as, the iPhone 4.

If the steep cost of the phones has your wallet looking like it’s about to burst into tears, sign up for a Walmart credit card and you can make monthly payments of $25.

“We believe customers shouldn’t have to choose between saving money and having the latest technology,” Walmart’s Seong Ohm said a statement announcing the new offer. “Now customers can have the coveted iPhone with unlimited talk, text and data without a contract for $70 a month thanks to our exclusive Straight Talk plan and industry first financing offer.”

F.J. Pollak, CEO and president of TracFone Wireless – operators of Straight Talk – called the $45 monthly plan and $25 financing offer “a marriage made in heaven,” claiming it made the iPhone 5 the most affordable premium smartphone in the US today.

The offer launches on Friday at more than 2,000 Walmart stores across the US as well as online at Walmart.com.

 [Source: Walmart]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/walmart-offering-iphone-5-with-straight-talk-prepaid-plans-from-friday/

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Apple to finally produce a budget iPhone?

Don't cry. You can still buy the expensive one...

Reports are coming in that Apple could be set to renege on another strategy and finally build a cheap iPhone.

The usually-reliable Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple has been researching a lower-end iPhone, something it's been looking at for three years, according to people 'briefed in the matter'.

However, the plans are now 'progressing', and would see the aluminium casing of the iPhone 5 shorn and a cheaper polycarbonate exterior used in its place.

Zombie iPhone

In the same manner as the iPad mini, which repurposed a lot of the iPad 2 internals, the cheap iPhone would use bits of older handsets to see it sold at a lower price point in new markets.

The move would be a change in stance for the Cupertino brand, which has previously used its older handsets as the budget alternative to whatever flagship is being sold. However, even the iPhone 4 still costs a horrendously high amount for a handset that's nearly three years old.

There's also the issue of catering for the next wave of smartphone users: the emerging markets are now moving to smartphones and can't afford the high prices Apple charges to preserve its profit margins.

Make it bigger, make it cheaper

Digitimes, that ever reliable news source, is claiming that Apple is building a budget model just for China, which would feature a larger 5-inch screen. Such a move would make sense in a way, given Apple hasn't gained as much traction in this key territory as it has in other areas.

It's reported that Samsung is considered a more popular brand in this region, with models like the Galaxy Note 2 performing well among the youth. Tim Cook has also been spotted headed out to this region, but then again he could simply be a fan of authentic Chinese cuisine.

The iPad mini showed that Apple was willing to bend on previous stances regarding its products – but would you be willing to buy a cheaper iPhone if it meant you knew you were getting a substandard experience compared to the 'cooler kids'?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-to-finally-produce-a-budget-iphone-1123869

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Facebook announces January 15 media event – says it’s building something….

Facebook is holding a media event at its Menlo Park headquarters next week. Designed to create a bit of a buzz, the invitation is deliberately vague, saying only, “Come and see what we’re building.”

With tech-heads from around the world currently drooling over all the offerings at CES in Las Vegas, Facebook has apparently been feeling a little neglected, envious of all the attention being lavished upon the likes of Samsung and Sony. But of course, CES is a hardware-centric occasion, and Facebook doesn’t make hardware. Not yet, at least.

You see, on Tuesday the social networking giant sent out a press invitation with the teasing words “Come and see what we’re building”. The event will take place at its Menlo Park headquarters in California on January 15 at 10am PT.

So what’s in store? It could be – perhaps, maybe, possibly – something to do with the often-talked-about-but-never-confirmed Facebook phone. It hit the headlines again last week when a list of HTC device code names was leaked, which happened to include ‘Opera’, a name which has been linked to the Facebook phone….if indeed there is one.

Then again, you might argue the appearance of a Facebook phone is about as likely as Mark Zuckerberg turning up to the event in a ballerina outfit singing Abba’s Lay All Your Love On Me – because the invitation says “see what we’re building” not “see what we’ve built”. It wouldn’t look too impressive if out of his trouser pocket he pulled some bits of plastic, a 5-inch display, a processor and a tub of glue and said, “It’s going to be a smartphone,” would it. Oh, and just four months ago, Zuckerberg said in an interview that a Facebook phone “just doesn’t make any sense.”

But surely next week’s event has to be something significant, something big, otherwise why the vagueness of the invitation? Facebook knows it’s going to create a stir, so it wants to unveil something to a fanfare, not a raspberry.

If you’ve any ideas – whether carefully thought through or utterly absurd – as to what the social networking company has up its sleeve, do take a moment to let us know in the comments below.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/facebook-announces-january-15-media-event/

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Lenovo looks to grab 'em with 5.5 IPS, Intel packing K900

K is for kool

It may only be shipping to China for now...actually three months from now...but Lenovo's new K900 smartphone is worth taking a look at.

Announced during CES 2013, the company's new flagship phone sports a 5.5-inch IPS display and a 6.9-millimeter side view. 6.9 millimeters? Seems there was another phone announced today with just that profile.

What sets the Android-running K900 apart from its preceding smartphone is its processor: it will be packed Intel's new Z2580 dual-core chip aimed at forthcoming handsets.

The screen stands a solid 1080p and 440-plus pixels, allowing Lenovo to stake the claim that has the first IPS display of its size with the Full HD res.

Good, K9

The phones a mesh of stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate material, creating a Unibody bod that's as strong and sharp as appears.

For the pocket conscious, Lenovo said the rear 13MP camera and sensor stay within the shell of the phone - no protruding bump here.

The camera also comes with a F1.8 focal length lens, meaning users can take clear, flash-less photos. On the front side of things, Lenovo's stretched out that camera to an 88 degree angle, the "widest available" for a phone's front camera.

And to keep Intel's new chip (of which full specs aren't yet public) it's coated the screen in Gorilla Glass 2 for protection.

Lenovo didn't announce pricing, but we hope we see some iteration of this phone make it out of China before long. It sounds like it could really hold its own.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lenovo-looks-to-grab-em-with-5-5-ips-intel-packing-k900-1123832

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Pro sports and wireless carriers continue to entwine as T-Mobile partners up with MLB

T-Mobile has announced a partnership with MLB for the coming years, and it looks like there’s a pattern starting to emerge between carriers and pro sports teams

T-Mobile’s CES 2013 keynote wrapped up earlier today, and while all eyes are on the new “Uncarrier” philosophy, the carrier is toting, another big announcement: a new marketing deal with MLB. That makes T-Mobile the third major carrier to make a new sports-related deal; are we starting to see a pattern here?

While Sprint and Verizon have had iron-tight relationships between NASCAR and the NFL respectively, both took the liberty of showing a tighter relationship at work for 2013 during CES. Sprint showed off its buddy-buddy relationship through some heavily-branded Qualcomm enhancements at its keynote. Verizon, meanwhile, took the liberty of reaffirming its relationship with the NFL, and promised to broadcast the 2014 Superbowl all over the US through 4G LTE. Sprint’s new relationship was seen through Qualcomm’s new tech, which allows a HUD and detailed look at the cars as they race from your tablet. It’s already is on top of new branding rights for the renamed Sprint Unlimited exhibition.

T-Mobile claims that the new tech should allow fans to get a closer look than ever at the dugout, and give you a better way to view the games and interact with the experience. It’s just another example of the social media element, and how it has grown to bond with long-standing traditions like professional sports. While an MLB At Bat app already exists for each season, we’re guessing T-Mobile will have something cooked for its customers in the near future.

But, there’s another thought is on our minds: Where’s AT&T? Is it going to grab the NHL, or the NBA?

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/t-mobile-announces-mlb-deal-after-reaffirmation-of-verizons-nfl-partnership-and-sprints-nascar-deal-were-seeing-a-pattern-here/

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