Motorola slashes $100 off the Moto X on Monday

Motorola is preparing some very sweet deals through the Valentine's Day. Starting Monday, January 27, Motorola Mobility will be slashing $100 off the price of the contract-free Moto X. The offer will be available from 3PM to 4PM ET, or until supplies last.

Don't you worry if you miss the amazing deal though. The Moto X price will continue to be $70 off until February 14.

Motorola has confirmed via its Twitter account the promotions apply for both the regular and the developer's edition of the smartphone. Maybe it's a good idea to head over to the Moto Maker website and prepare you custom Moto X design in time for Monday.

Motorola has already announced the Friends with Moto program that offers $50 off the Moto X and $40 off the Moto G prices. You can find more about it right here.

Source 1 | Source 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_slashes_100_off_the_moto_x_on_monday-news-7658.php

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Stroll Down memory lane: the news from 5 years ago

It goes without saying that things change quickly in the mobile industry. But sometimes it's hard to really understand the kind of rapid progress we are getting without proper perspective.

So we though we'd take a break from our usual routine, and instead of covering the latest trends try and look back on how mobiles have developed in just 5 short years is interesting to say the least. From an emerging platform called Android to signs of trouble brewing for a seemingly invincible Nokia, let's go back to January 2009 in our first ever stroll down memory lane in Mobile Tech.

Nokia N97 hits the UK for £480

The N97 was heralded as many as being the next greatest smartphone for both Nokia and the industry, but turned out to be anything but. It had a 3.5" slide-and-tilt touchscreen and was only the second Nokia device to feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Unfortunately, poor software ergonomics on the 5th edition of Nokia's popular S60 interface, a dated camera, and limited 3rd party software availability made the hyped Nokia 5800 XpressMusic successor a flop, and proved that Nokia could no longer rely on resting on its laurels.

Microsoft prepares to push out Windows Mobile 6.5

Microsoft saw its Windows Mobile operating system start to fall behind against emerging smartphone platforms like Android and iOS, particularly in the online services department. Windows Mobile 6.5 was supposed to address all of those issues, and bring their dated OS into "modern times".

The kind of cosmetic changes that Windows Mobile 6.5 were hardly enough though, it kept loosing pace. Only completely overhauled Windows Phone OS and partnership with Nokia helped Microsoft go up against the tidal wave that would become Android and iOS.

T-Mobile G1 makes its way to continental Europe

The first device running on a little-known but ambitious project from Google called Android would make its way to mainland Europe.

The device was first released the previous October in the US and the UK, and was set for a January 30 release date in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Austria, followed by a February 2 release in Germany and Poland.

Nokia loses market share in 2008, promises a comeback

Nokia ended 2008 with a global market share of 37%, down 3% from the year prior. While this still results in first place by a wide margin among other manufacturers, company profits dropped a drastic 37.8%.

If only they know how bad things would get…

Samsung records a successful 2008, handily lands 2nd place in market share

A strong 2008 had Samsung rise to second place in 2008, with a 22% increase in mobile handsets and approximately 200 million units shipped. Its 15.8% market share was still well behind the 37% controlled by Nokia, but things were looking good for the ambitious Korean company.

The rise of Android helped Samsung turn that great year in the first of many and the Koreans, a distant second back then, are now by far the world's largest cellphone manufacturer.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/this_week_in_mobile_tech_january_2009-news-7655.php

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Apple denies that the NSA has iOS access

We recently reported on the NSA's access to all iPhones, making each user's data visible to the watching eyes of the government agency. There was even some talk that Apple may have worked with the NSA, basically handing over a key to all of their users' information.

Well Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't take kindly to these rumors and avers that there is no backdoor access to iOS. Cook even went so far as to say that if the government wanted access to Apple's servers, that they would need “to cart [our employees] out in a box.”

Cook went on-air on ABC to dispel the rumors about the supposed scandal involving his company and the NSA. The CEO has even said that Apple has been “pushing very, very hard” for people to have more access to the company's inner practices.

In the interview with ABC Cook also spoke a bit about the direction Apple is going to take product wise: specifically in reference to wearable devices.

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Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_denies_that_the_nsa_has_ios_access-news-7657.php

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The wait for Apple's iTunes Radio may soon be over for Brits and Canadians

iTunes Radio flying the nest?

Apple's iTunes Radio streaming service could be set for an imminent launch outside the United States, with the service reportedly showing up on iOS devices in the UK and Canada.

AppleInsider brings word from readers on both sides of the Atlantic who've seen the iTunes Radio service show up within the Music app on their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

In the UK, the users say they're able to stream music using iTunes Radio, while the Canadians who're seeing the service are as yet unable to use it.

Apple has not made any announcement regarding the international launch of iTunes Radio and it is thought the company has been working on the licensing deals necessary for a roll-out outside the U.S.

Customise it...

iTunes Radio was announced at WWDC in June last year, as Apple's answer to Spotify and other dedicated online radio services like Pandora.

The service allows users to play custom radio stations based on songs, artists or genres, or choose from playlists curated by Apple or guest DJs.

If users take a liking to particular songs, they can add them to their iTunes library by purchasing the song from within the Radio portion of the music app.

Have you seen iTunes Radio appear within your Music app yet? Let us know in the comments section below.

• Google is taking the fight to iTunes Radio with "I'm feeling lucky" radio on iOS...

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/the-wait-for-apple-s-itunes-radio-may-soon-be-over-for-brits-and-canadians-1218657

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Apple laying foundations for mobile payments service through Apple ID?

Apple could commandeer mobile payments on the iPhone

Apple is reportedly investigating the possibility of launching its own mobile payments service, which would allow iPhone and iPad users to pay for goods and services using their Apple ID accounts.

The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is looking at 'leveraging' the millions of credit card details its customers currently use to buy apps, games, movies, books, music and more, to launch a wider service.

According to the 'paper's sources, Apple CEO Tim Cook has placed its senior vice president of Internet Software and Service Eddy Cue in charge of getting the service up and running.

The report claims Apple is discussing the plan with other companies in the tech industry.

Look out, PayPal...

If it were to eventually come to fruition, iOS users, for example, could pay for their groceries using their mobile devices, charging the payment to their registered iTunes accounts.

Apple has been researching mobile payments for years, but a fully fledged service would see the company take on the likes of PayPal, Square and Google in the increasingly populated sector.

Would shopping with your Apple ID make things simpler for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

• Apple in 2014: What to expect

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-reportedly-laying-foundations-for-mobile-payments-service-through-apple-id-1218655

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Bloatware be gone! Korean phones will soon make carrier baggage optional

How many of your phone's pre-installed apps do you actually use?

"Bloatware," as it's called, is a problem for smartphone owners everywhere. It takes up space and uses battery life and data, and more often than not it can't be deleted.

But South Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning has ruled on new guidelines that will require smartphone makers to allow users to delete unnecessary pre-installed software.

Not all pre-installed software will be required to be deletable. A phone's app store or app marketplace app will be required, for example.

The new rules will go into effect beginning in April.

A world without bloatware

In a Korean-language press release the ministry said the new rules will give consumers more battery life and storage space on their gadgets.

Other types of apps that will still be mandatory include apps related to NFC, Wi-Fi, and customer service.

Still, this is great news for customers whose new phones currently come with dozens of non-deletable apps pre-installed.

This could cause issues in the future with customers deleting certain apps and then having no way to re-download them later, though it will be up to phone makers to address that themselves.

Meanwhile we can hope that similar regulations make their way to other countries eventually.

• The latest Motorola flagship is here - read TechRadar's Moto G review for the full scoop!

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/bloatware-be-gone-korean-phones-will-soon-make-included-apps-optional-1218604

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The week in review, five years ago...

We're taking a look at the mobile trends from this week, five years ago. For some of the more battle-hardened tech veterans who have been following the state of cell phones for a while, this may seem like just yesterday. To our newer readers...it may as well be the stone age.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic sold a million units (it was also shown off in The Dark Knight). The phone packed a 3.2” resistive touch screen; a technology that is all but obsolete on cell phones today. It also came with a guitar-pick stylus and rocked a touch optimized version of the Symbian OS and a 3.15MP primary camera.

It was also a time when feature phones were still in the news, like the Sony Ericsson C903. It was a slider with a 5MP camera and geo-tagging via GPS; something that is pretty much a standard on every phone these days.

During this week in 2009, we also saw Nokia lose more of its market share. There was a time when Nokia dominated every aspect of the phone market: from low-end models, to the most prestigious smartphones, the Finnish giant ruled them all. This was the beginning of the end for Nokia.

It was also announced that Huawei would manufacture Android phones. The Chinese manufacturer is now a big player in the smartphone game, and are enjoying their Google OS success.

Windows 6.5 was leaked and much to the chagrin of many it was a rehash of the same tired Windows Mobile OS. Many users were looking for Microsoft to provide an answer to iOS and Android, but the Seattle-based computing giant was slow to play catch-up. They are flying high with Windows Phone now. However, if they would have been more innovative at the start, they could easily have been the number two OS across the board today.

Suffering from any bouts of nostalgia? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/the_week_in_review_five_years_ago-news-7656.php

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