Gadget and Techno Updates
Posts tagged mobile phones
Virgin Mobile to have $40 true unlimited data plan
Aug 23rd
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile this weekend prematurely confirmed a major revamp of its Broadband2Go data plans that could see a return to real unlimited data. Rather than the four plans offered today, it would simplify to just a $40 unlimited monthly plan and a $10, 100MB 10-day plan. IntoMobile has added through a leaked memo that the changes will go live on August 24.
Both MiFi routers and modems should work with the cap-free access.
The switch would escalate the competition among carriers for mobile data. Clear and Virgin’s US parent Sprint offer unlimited Internet, but only for their still-rare WiMAX services. On More >
Smartphone data use up 50% in just six months
Aug 10th
Data use on a typical US smartphone has shot up 50 percent in just half a year, a newly published study by analyst Chetan Sharma has discovered. In the first half of 2010, the average bandwidth used climbed to 230MB, or enough to eclipse AT&T’s cheaper plan introduced at the very end of the period. The usage is some of the heaviest in the world, as Japan and Korea have further 3G reach but use it significantly less.
iphone 4
The US as a result has become “ground zero” for data use in the world and is a testbed for policies around More >
Google special event Thursday may bring Android video calls
Aug 10th
htc evo 4g
Google today sent notice of a special event at its Mountain View campus on Thursday to unveil a “couple of cool new mobile features” that may bring video calling to Android. While the company has so far only said that mobile product lead Hugo Barra will lead the event, sources suggested Tuesday night that it may be video chat integrated with the mobile OS. A second option raised by AllThingsD may be a clone of Find My iPhone that would help Android owners track, lock down or wipe a lost handset.
A video chat feature would be a quick More >
Apple may have known of iPhone antenna flaw two years ago
Aug 8th
iphone 4
Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna issue might have been identified as far back as two years ago if a scoop is accurate. An internal bug report for the signal drop was allegedly filed in 2008, well in advance of when the phone shipped. The “informed” source of John Gruber’s didn’t say how the issue was treated or whether it was known it would be a long-term issue, but its existence implies advanced knowledge that an external antenna might have been an issue.
The early mention of the bug would have come significantly before the hiring of Mark Papermaster, who is rumored More >
