Sprint readies FM Radio and Entertain Me packages for Android and Windows Phones

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Music,

Sprint is bringing FM radio to select Android and Windows Phone devices this year with the NextRadio tuner app. This move makes Sprint the first US carrier to herald FM radio in such fashion, and shows the amount of faith the carrier puts in a format some might say is already dead.

Sprint also revealed an application bundle for the Sprint Zone on Android dubbed "Entertain Me." The bundle will feature Sprint TV and Movies, Sprint Music Plus, Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam, and Rumpus.

Microsoft to migrate Messenger users to Skype on March 15

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Software,

Microsoft is officially retiring its Messenger service and will redirect users, and their contacts, to Skype.

According to The Next Web, users will retain access to Microsoft Messenger until March 15th, at which point they will then be prompted to join Skype. The migration will be made with your contacts in tow, so that alleviates some of the stress involved in the changing of hands. Mobile users of Skype will be glad to know that Microsoft account support is already mixed in with the iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8 to make the transfer as swift as possible.

How do you feel about the death of Messenger? Let us know in the comments.

Read More | The Next Web

iPhone set to launch on T-Mobile in “three to four months”, maybe

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Rumors,

T-Mobile's John Legere revealed to Reuters that his network's iPhone launch will happen within the next "three to four months" rather than the next "six to nine." This estimated time frame, while not the most accurate, coincides well with T-Mobile's LTE rollout and network reframing.

"If the old industry structure chooses to ignore what we do," said Leger, "that's a potential."

Read More | Reuters

Watch NVIDIA’s CES 2013 keynote video

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2013, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videos,

If you're weren't lucky enough to attend 2013's Consumer Electronics Show, then you can catch up on NVIDIA's keynote here. The company had a fairly talked about showing, revealing a similarly praised and criticized product in its Project Shield, Android-based gaming console. NVIDIA also revealed its new Tegra 4 processor, all of which you can see in its entirety in the video after the break.

Click to continue reading Watch NVIDIA’s CES 2013 keynote video

Read More | Twitch TV

Kno Me launches for iPad, coming soon to Windows 8 and Android

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Software,

Kno's smart textbook metrics system for students and parents, titled "Kno Me," is now launching for the iPad, Windows 8, and other browser platforms. Kno Me works by providing detailed sets of data on the way you (or your child) studies by observing patterns and durations of interaction with subject matter, pages, annotations and more. By learning how you, or your child, learns, you will have a better chance of perfecting habits which allow for improved knowledge retention.

Kno Me is currently available for the firm's interactive text books, and will be coming to Android and Windows 7 by the end of the month.

Read More | Engadget

Weekend Reading: Star Wars, Gerry Conway, Bloodhound, & Mickey Mouse

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics,

The internets are abuzz with all sorts of great stuff this week. Let's take a look.

Gerry Conway is one of my favorite writers. I love his Marvel work on Spider-Man and countless others, his Atari Force for DC is an unsung gem, and, more importantly, I think his work as a writer-producer on Law & Order: Criminal Intent gave that show its best episodes. This project with him looks very interesting.

Great news. An old DC book that slipped under the radar is getting collected by Dark Horse. It’s Dan Jolley’s (and Leonard Kirk’s and Robin Riggs’) Bloodhound. Here’s a solid interview with Dan at Robot 6.

Mickey Mouse tries to kill himself, in 1930.

A Star Wars novel as caper with Han, Chewy and Lando? Here’s a very favorable review from Randy Johnson of Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Star Wars, Gerry Conway, Bloodhound, & Mickey Mouse

Fulton showcases method to charge your smartphone with your tablet, wirelessly

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2013, Handhelds,

Fulton Innovation, known for its advancements in wireless power, is making yet another run at wireless power in 2013. What's in store this year: Using your tablet to wirelessly charge your smartphone. Fulton showed off its "two-way technology" at CES 2013, displaying a tablet that doubles as a wireless charing pad for other devices and Qi-compatible phones. Fulton demonstrated its two-way technology's flexibility with a printed poster of aDj console that is played by tapping elements of the poster to create sounds, all powered by its two-way tablet, as instead of powering lights it powers the speakers. The circuits of the poster are implemented in conductive inks that create the wireless power coil. Lastly, Fulton showed its multi-device power mat that allows multiple Qi-compatible devices to charge on a single surface.

Read More | The Verge

Google plans fix for Google Maps in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Google, Internet, Microsoft, Software,

Maps for Windows Phone users is about to get a little better. According to Google, it is planning on fixing the issue preventing Windows Phone users from reaching the Google Maps website through Internet Explorer. The search giant had this to say:

"We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users. In our last test, IE mobile still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality. As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users. Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users."

Google had previously stated that the outage was because its mobile Maps site wasn't designed with IE in mind.

Lenovo splits Think brand to better compete with Apple

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Corporate News, PC / Laptop,

Lenovo is dividing its internal operations to separately handle its mid and low-range products and the high-end products associated with the ThinkPad. This news comes from an internal email we were made aware of by Sina Tech, which states that in April the Lenovo Business Group will handle mid-range laptops, desktops, tablets and smart TVs, while the Think Business Group will handle high-end consumer products and produce enterprise machines. It was noted in the email by Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, that Think is more suited to compete with Apple in the high-end market. Digitimes also reports on rumors suggesting Lenovo plans to arrange an in-house position for its notebook production within three to five years.

Read More | Sina Tech

Withings Smart Activity Tracker set to take on Fitbit

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, CES, CES 2013, Wearables,

Withings has announced its contender in the wearable fitness tracker battle with its Smart Activity Tracker at CES 2013. As seen in the image, the Smart Activity Tracker is small, similar to a Fitbit, and it nicely packs in Bluetooth 4.0 for low battery consumption. Throw it in a pocket or wear it on your belt or arm, and it'll track steps taken, flights of stairs climbed, calories burned, sleep quality, and running strides. Even cooler, unlike other similar devices, this one can measure your pulse when you press your finger against its built-in heart rate monitor. A small OLED display is on front to provide all of your stats at a glance, and the battery lasts about two weeks per charge, and uses micro USB for recharging. No pricing info is available for the Smart Activity Tracker just yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we know.

Read More | Withings Smart Activity Tracker