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Nokia Lumia 928

It looks like Verizon Wireless is set to finally offer the Nokia Lumia 928, giving Verizon a flagship Windows Phone 8 device, starting next month. While no formal announcements have been made, two people familiar with the details have confirmed it. Since flagship Lumia smartphones in the US have typically been AT&T exclusives, it'll be interesting to see what the Verizon effect will have on sales. The Lumia 928 will have an aluminum enclosure rather than the polycarbonate Lumias that we're used to, with a 4.5-inch display, 8-megapixel camera, and wireless charging capabilities.


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iPhone 5S delay

Analysts are reporting that the Apple iPhone 5S is set to be delayed because of problems Apple is having with integrating a fingerprint sensor. The issue seemingly stems from the color coating of the paint and getting it to work with the rumored fingerprint sensor that will be a part of the iPhone 5S. The end result is that the next iPhone, the lower-cost budget iPhone, and the next iPad mini will all launch closer to September rather than the June/July timeframe.

One important note here: Apple has never specified a release date for the iPhone 5S (or even the existence of the device itself,) so to call this a delay seems disingenuous. These delays are really based on the best guesses of the analysts in the first place. In other words, this "delay" really is the analysts saying their guesses were wrong, but not taking the blame.

Read More | Reuters

HTC One now available

The HTC One is finally and officially on sale, beginning today, at AT&T and Sprint locations. As we previously mentioned, you can get the 32GB model from both carriers for $199.99 with two-year contract, but the 64GB version is an AT&T exclusive at $299.99. As of today, you can get the white model--the black version won't be available for a number of weeks. If you're holding out for the T-Mobile version, you're gonna have to wait a few more days, as the HTC One doesn't drop on Magenta until April 24th.


Budget iPhone rear shell rumor

The big iPhone rumor this year is that Apple will release a lower-cost model with a polycarbonate plastic backing, similar to the one found on the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Today, an image has cropped up that purports to show the rear shell of the budget model iPhone. As you can see, it's similar in size to the iPhone 4, and is mostly flat, rather than the rounded 3G/3GS design. Tactus, the company that is making the claims, also has other details:

I’ve also heard on the grapevine that the alleged budget iPhone will have an A5 processor like the iPad Mini with a 32nm diecast. It’s also rumoured it will have a 3.5 inch retina screen, much like the 4S, but not as big as the iPhone 5 … I’ve also discovered the factory producing this secretive project have confirmed the device will be available in Black, White, Blue, Red and Yellow.

A multi-colored low-cost iPhone? What do you think?

Read More | Tactus

Sprint LTE cities

While Sprint still has a way to go to catch up to the LTE footprint of Verizon and AT&T, the company continues to chug ahead, and today has announced 21 new cities where they've lit up the faster 4G service. If you're in places like Charlotte, North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California, you should be able to pick up on the LTE network that Sprint has just turned on in your area. With today's additions, that brings Sprint LTE to 88 cities across the USA. Hit the source link for a list of all 21 cities where Sprint just got a whole lot faster.

Read More | Sprint

Facebook Home

Facebook Home is now available for download on Google Play, as promised last week at the Facebook Home announcement event. If you're the owner of an HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, or Samsung Galaxy Note II, you are good to go and can download and apply Facebook's launcher right away. You can also pick up the HTC First, which ships with Facebook Home built right in. The HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 will also be capable of running Facebook Home.

As a reminder, Facebook Home is a replacement lock screen, home screen, and chat experience for compatible Android smartphones, bringing pictures feeds to the forefront, and the new Chat Heads feature that will allow you to stay manage Facebook messages in a much more efficient way.

Read More | Facebook Home

LifeProof Fr�� Car Mount

No doubt about it, I'm a LifeProof case fan. So, it's only natural that I use accessories to accompany the Frē Case (see our Lifeproof Fre case review.) In this case, the car mount, which I found to be well designed with great fit and finish, and takes little-to-no effort to assemble and use. In my usage tests, I admired the attention to detail that LifeProof has put in to assure that the car mount is sturdy, yet gentle enough to safely cradle your iPhone in place for hands-free GPS navigation. I prefer using a smartphone for navigation since there's a slew of GPS apps at my disposal. Users will quickly find, as I did, that the car mount can be rotated in pretty much any direction. This is a huge plus, as it makes it easy to find that sweet spot when viewing at a glance while still practicing safe driving habits. The LifeProof Frē Car Mount is $39.99 online at Lifeproof.com or at your local Best Buy.

Also, be sure to check out our LifeProof Fre Belt Clip review.

Read More | LifeProof

LifeProof Fr�� Belt Clip

I've been using the LifeProof Belt Clip a lot recently with the LifeProof Fre iPhone 5 case (see our LifeProof Fre review.) Yes, you read correctly. Call me old school, but I use a belt clip and I'm proud of it. I keep my pant pockets empty, with the exception of my wallet, which is why I'm counting the days for NFC e-wallet payment to become ubiquitous. LifeProof has made what I like to refer to as the quick draw belt clip. Faster than any gunslinger from those old westerns, I can quickly bust out my iPhone 5, that just moments before was snuggled safely in its holster, and send my favorite emoticon-filled iMessage with speed and accuracy. Simply put, the belt clip is rugged, yet uniquely designed with the Fre's sleek military spec motif. All in all, the LifeProof Fre Belt Clip performed exceedingly well, which is why I give it my seal of approval. The LifeProof Frē Belt Clip is $29.99 online at Lifeproof.com or at your local Best Buy.

Read More | LifeProof Fre Belt Clip

T-Mobile iPhone line

This morning, T-Mobile finally started selling the iPhone 5, the first iPhone available from the company since the Apple smartphone debuted almost six years ago. Reports of modest lines at various T-Mobile locations across the country have been coming in, which is a good sign for T-Mobile, which rarely sees lines for new devices. Coupled with the its new Uncarrier plans, customers are able to pick up a new T-Mobile iPhone 5 for $99 up front. Switchers are able to trade in a used iPhone 4 or 4S to get the iPhone 5 for free up front, with a $120 credit being applied to the monthly bill as well.

Are you going to go with T-Mobile as your iPhone carrier of choice?

Read More | Twitter

iPhone 5S flex cable

We are about half-way through the iPhone 5 product cycle, and that means it's time for iPhone 5S parts to start leaking. Today, iLab factory is showing what is purported to be flex cables for the iPhone 5S home button, vibrator, volume/mute buttons, and the front camera. Interestingly, the mute switch seems to have gone away, replaced by a mute button instead. As always, these should be taken with a grain of salt, but Apple is definitely set to start ramping up production of the next iPhone since it won't be long before it's introduced to the masses. These parts may also be reserved for the rumored lower-cost iPhone, rather than the iPhone 5S. Time will tell.

Read More | iLab

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