US Cellular may give customers more data for the same money
US Cellular’s shared data plan subscribers might be able to enjoy more data sometime soon. That’ll be the case anyway, if the carrier’s truly increasing its shared data subscribers’ caps, as indicated by a leaked internal document unearthed by Droid Life. If the memo is legit, then the $40 shared plan will come with 1GB of data that triples the original 300MB, the $50 tier will come with a 2GB cap instead of 1GB and the $60 plan will net subscribers 3GB of data, up from 2GB. The company is reportedly bumping up current subscribers’ data allotments automatically, though it’s giving new customers the choice to sign up for an introductory 300MB tier for $15 a month. In addition to higher shared data caps, US Cellular is apparently going to launch a $60 single line plan with 1GB of data for a limited time.
Considering the company’s rivals (AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) have recently debuted more customer-friendly options, it makes sense for US cellular to keep up. Good thing we won’t have to wait long to know if the memo’s real, as the revamped shared data structure’s supposed to go live on March 13th. Those raring to go and sign up for a new line might want to keep this in mind, though: while the they’ll get more data for the same price, they still have to pay a connection charge for each of their devices.
[Image credit: Vincent Desjardins, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Mobile
Via: CNET
Source: Droid Life
LaCie’s hyper fast 1TB Thunderbolt 2 disk now on sale for $1,300
Though 1,375MB/s worth of disk speed might seem extravagant, applications like 4K RAW video need to squeeze every byte. Luckily, you’ll get all of that with LaCie’s Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt 2, now on sale starting at $1,300 with 1TB of storage (two 500GB SSDs in a RAID). If even that isn’t enough — and you happen to have a new Mac Pro with six Thunderbolt 2 ports — you can put two in parallel for an eye-watering 2.5GB/s (capital ‘B’). That’ll let you transfer 1TB of footage in under seven minutes or run over 10 streams of 14-bit RAW 4K video simultaneously. Overkill? Sure, but we don’t need a 949 HP car, either.
Filed under: Storage
Source: LaCie
Instagram for Android gets updated to version 5.1, slims down for a faster Android Experience
For the longest time, the Instagram app on Android has been getting more and more bloated to the point where even loading up your feed would repeatedly fail if your internet connection was anything less than perfect. Thankfully, Instagram has listened as Instagram for Android gets updated to version 5.1, cutting the app size in half to create a much faster experience.
Instagram says that apart from speeding the app up, they’ve also rearranged the buttons for ease-of-use and simplified all the menus. After playing with the updated app, I can definitely say that it’s a more pleasant experience now with the updated visuals, and while there have been no changes functionality wise, the speed does appear to have drastically improved since the last version.
If you’re an avid Instragrammer, you may have already seen the update hit your device today, but if you haven’t, make sure to update the app or visit the Play Store page (link below), particularly if you previously uninstalled the app and just want to check out what’s changed. Feel free to let us know what you think of the changes!
Source: Instagram via engadget
Application: Instagram
Price: Free
Bend it like robo-Beckham with the U14 Free Kick toy
Axpro is a Taiwanese company that makes flash drives, so it’s surprising to see it building app-connected toys like U14 Free Kick – a game that’s a weird hybrid between Frujit Ninja, Subbuteo and Robot Football. Making Fruit Ninja-style swipes on the iOS app determines the power and direction of a free-kick made by a robotic footballer, in the hope of getting it up and over a defending wall. It’s been designed for groups of soccerball fanatics who want to show off their ball-curving prowess without doing the real thing, and seems ideal for late night pub competitions. Unfortunately, it won’t become commercially available until Axpro finds a contributor, so we might have to clip our nails and dust off that Subbuteo box after all.
Sharif Sakr received a yellow card for simulation during this report.
Toshiba sticks to what it knows with new LED HDTV range
Toshiba’s already spilled the beans on its 4K TV line-up for this year, and right on cue, it’s just revealed the new range of 2014 LED sets that might interest us folk still clinging on to the regular HD era. The entry-level 3 series gains a number of new recruits, all with some smart TV features, baked-in WiFi and Freeview HD, in the UK at least. The L3 range is full HD, with 40- and 48-inch options, while the lone W3 model is a 32-inch, 1,366 x 768 affair. With the same resolution and screen sizes from 24 to 40 inches, the D3 series also have DVD players on board, and all of the above are slated for launch in the US and UK later this month.
The new L54 duo, available in 40- and 48-inch full HD flavors, include all the same features as the 3 series, with active-shutter 3D and 2D to 3D conversion, to boot. Making a step up to the L64 42- and 47-inch pair grants you Toshiba’s more advanced “Cloud” smart TV platform, with DVR capabilities and WiDi support. You’ll lose 3D credentials, but gain a bunch of buzzwords that speak of improved image and audio quality, as well as support for Toshiba’s mobile apps. We reach the top end with the L74 series of 42-, 47- and 55-inch models. These have all the features of the L64 range, plus passive 3D and Toshiba’s own CEVO picture and audio processing technology. All models in the L54, L64 and L74 crews are due to hit shelves during the second quarter.
Also arriving before July are a trio of speaker setups to complement your new set. There’s a simple 40-watt sound bar, and two sound bar/subwoofer combos. The “Mini 3D Sound Bar II” is the smaller of the two, as the name suggests, with 90 watts of total power and Bluetooth/NFC alongside probably all the physical connectivity options you might need. Unlovingly named “SB3950M1,” the bigger combo is much of the same, but with 150 watts of total power to make your eyes rattle just that little bit more.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Netflix UK adds ‘Homeland’ and ‘American Horror Story’ to its US TV show roster
UK Netflix subscribers looking to get their fix of US TV will soon have two new popular series available to add to their binge-watching schedule. Expanding its partnership with Twentieth Century Fox, the streaming giant announced today it will exclusively add the first two seasons of Golden Globe winning drama Homeland and paranormal series American Horror Story from March 13th. It’s another big coup for Netflix as it attempts to supplement its ever-increasing line-up of originals, which includes House of Cards, with earlier seasons of shows still pulling in strong TV audiences. Sure, it’d be ideal if the episodes appeared as they aired, but we’re secretly hoping for a spin-off starring Saul from Breaking Bad and Saul from Homeland… maybe they could call it “Better Call Sauls.”
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Netflix (PRNewsWire)
Google has acquired Green Throttle; will we see a gaming-centric Google TV?
You may remember almost a year about we reviewed an Android gaming system made by a company called Green Throttle Games; the system was simple enough, combining Bluetooth controllers with Green Throttle’s own app to create a console gaming experience with any Android device you possessed (you can check out our full review here). Green Throttle has actually since then removed their app from the Play Store which makes their entire system worthless despite still being sold on Amazong. Even so, their work has caught somebody’s eye as Google has acquired Green Throttle Games in what’s reported as their endeavour to recreate a Google TV set top box.
We’ve known for some time known that Google has aspirations to recreate Google TV into something that can legitimately challenge the Apple TV, and something that has some Green Throttle-inspired gaming capabilities would definitely give it an edge in the media streaming space. The report says that Google will be making use of Green Throttle’s parts and labour to help create the set top box.
What do you think about Google acquiring the gaming-centric technology of Green Throttle? Would you be more likely to get a Google TV if it had gaming capabilities? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: 9to5Google via TalkAndroid
Apple to Focus on Selling Entry-Level iPhones and iPads in Small Stores Across India [iOS Blog]
Apple will reportedly look to build a presence in India by opening small stores with resell partners and emphasize sales of entry-level iPhones and iPads, according to a new report from The Economic Times. The plan follows comments from Apple India executives Maneesh Dhir and Sanjay Kaul last October stating a desire for the company to build 100 exclusive standalone stores under the franchise model throughout the country.
An Apple Premium Reseller in India
Apple has informed distributors and trade partners in recent meetings that it is looking to set up exclusive 400-600 sq ft stores in neighbourhoods and some popular high-street locations. They will focus on mobility products such as iPhones and iPads, besides entry-level Mac computers and iPods, said three of Apple’s trade partners aware of the plans.
“Apple wants to focus more on its entry-level models in these stores such as iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPad mini and iPad 2, which are essentially in the sub- 30,000 segment and also its largest-selling products in India,” said a senior executive of a leading trade partner of Apple.
The report adds that the company is looking to build these new stores in populated areas such Pune, Vizag, Guwahati, Durgapur, and Gangtok, stating that Apple is looking to attract the large number of students as well as residents with “high disposable incomes” in those regions. Currently, India does not have any Apple Retail Stores to call its own, although a report in January 2012 stated that Apple was interested in setting up locations in the country after business regulations were relaxed.
Q2 2013 figures from Canalys reported last August showed that India is the third largest smartphone market in the world, posting 129% growth and resulting in the shipment of 9 million smartphones during the quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned during the company’s Q3 2013 earnings call that iPhone sales in India increased by 400% year-over-year, as the iPad posted double-digit growth in the region. It was also reported last month that Apple would be restarting iPhone 4 production for India, Indonesia, and Brazil in order to recapture market share in those countries.
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Rdio plans to stop using Echo Nest, because Spotify bought it
Rdio’s CEO, Anthony Bay, doesn’t want Spotify knowing what it knows, and to that end, the music service is looking to break away from Echo Nest. However, the music intelligence company, recently bought by Spotify, is just one of several partners that Rdio taps for its music data, including Rovi. Spotify has previously said that it’ll run Echo Nest as a “wholly-owned subsidiary” which should keep the data service relatively free from any meddling. In an interview with CNBC, Bay said: “We, probably like most people, have multiple sources of data that we use. So we will stop using that source of data [Echo Nest] and use other sources.”
Filed under: Internet
Via: GigaOm
Source: CNBC
Rumors of an Amazon music service, TV set-top box swirl yet again
We’re still not sure whether Amazon’s truly launching a music streaming service, but if it does, you might only be able to access songs and albums for a limited time. According to the Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce company hopes to offer music streaming as part of Prime to justify an annual membership (from $79 to $119) price increase. Unlike other services like Spotify or Pandora, Amazon’s end goal is to entice people to download tracks from its MP3 store, hence, the time limit. Meanwhile, Billboard reports on rumors compiled from sources at multiple labels, where Amazon’s apparently going after older titles, and proposing smaller, capped payments based on the number of plays. The service’s existence depends on whether Amazon and recording companies can agree on licensing fees, though — it’s reportedly far from being a done deal.
Music streaming isn’t the only Amazon rumor that’s recently resurfaced with more details. Remember the streaming box the company was supposedly launching last year? Well, according to GigaOm, when it does become available, it’ll come loaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus in addition to Prime Instant Video. It’s also intriguing that Amazon appears on a list of companies registered to use the DIAL protocol pushed by Netflix and YouTube. That suggests the ability to fire and control streams from your mobile apps for those services and/or the addition of similar features to Amazon Instant Video. Of course, none of these are set in stone (hey, Amazon hasn’t even confirmed either product yet) until we hear from the company itself.
[Image credit: Mike Seyfang/Flickr]
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Billboard, GigaOm
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