US targeting Bitcoin exchanges in hunt for drug money
While Bitcoin tries to go mainstream, many supporters still celebrate its “anarchist spirit” — but certainly not the FBI. According to the WSJ, they’re probing the now-collapsed Mt. Gox exchange and several others in connection to Silk road, the notorious former drug marketplace. Authorities recently arrested its founder, Ross Albrecht, and charged him with money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses. They’ve reportedly now issued subpoenas to exchanges including Mt. Gox, looking to see if they gave Silk Road crooks hard currency in exchange for Bitcoins. The investigation has just started, but such businesses now seem to be in the fed’s cross-hairs — despite the underworld’s love for cryptocurrency, they still need cold cash.
Via: Reuters
Source: WSJ
T-Mobile connected tablets now available at Walmart
T-Mobile on Monday announced that Walmart locations across the country are now selling connected tablets. The Trio AXS 3G Quad Core tablet went on sale last Saturday for $179; features include a 7.85-inch display, 16GB internal storage, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB RAM. Looking ahead to June, Walmart will offer the HP Slate 7 HD tablet for $229.
As a reminder, all T-Mobile tables include 200MB of monthly data for the life of the device. Customers needing more data can purchase plans that start at $10 per month for 1GB.
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Tego Power Grid review
One thing we’ve seen while reviewing battery packs is the lack of beautiful design. That’s absolutely not the case for the Tego Power Grid, a 4,200mAh battery pack. It offers a very unique design and enough juice to power your device two times over, but is a little pricey for our liking.
We’ve used this battery pack for almost three weeks, and we have a pretty good idea as to whether this is right for you. Take a look at our full review below.
Design
External battery packs could certainly use some work in the design field. It’s not uncommon to see a big black or white cube with a few USB ports. This one, however, is absolutely beautiful. The top and bottom feature a Lego-like rubbery design to ensure it won’t slide off a table or something of the like. It’s encased in a plastic white shell, and generally feels sturdy. You’ll find two 2.1A USB outputs on the top and a Micro USB port on the right for charging the pack.
It comes with a thick, flat Micro USB cord that only measures about two feet long. It’s not the longest cord, but it’s super high-quality and definitely won’t get tangled. The only thing we have an issue with is the Micro USB connection side. The plastic casing around the cable is too big to fit when using a phone case. Though the cord was a bit too big on one end for our liking, it’s still a premium-feeling cord.
The top row of buttons actually light up to indicate the charge level. The LED lights in this thing are really bright and almost never stop blinking, even when the device is charging. We would have liked to see the LED lights turn off while in use to conserve energy, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker.
Performance
The performance of this pack is great. It charges quickly due to the 2.1A outputs, and the LED lights are pretty accurate in indicating the charge level. When a device is plugged in, the Power Grid automatically recognizes it and turns on. This is a feature we wish we could see in all other battery packs.
We used this battery pack to charge a Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 7 (2012), Pebble Smartwatch, and a Galaxy S3. We’ve had no problems with the charging process, whatsoever.
Should you buy?
The Tego Power Grid is an amazing product. It looks fantastic, feels great, and charges things very quickly. However, the price is it’s major downfall. The Power Grid is offered directly from Tego for $59.00. We feel this price is way too high for a battery pack that can only charge most devices two times through.
We’ve reviewed 10,400mAh battery packs in the past that are a fraction of the price, while still keeping a solid design. Because of this, we simply can’t recommend the Tego Power Grid, solely for the price. If you do decide to invest in one, however, you won’t be disappointed in the performance or design fields at all.
If you’d like to check out a Tego Power Grid for yourself, head over to the Tego Power website.
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Telenav’s Scout app switches on OpenStreetMap
Telenav on Monday announced its mobile apps will begin using OpenStreeMap. More specifically, the iOS app will begin integrating the crowd-sourced maps later this week. The Android version, for its part, will see the feature roll out by June.
One of the key differences in using OpenStreetMap from other tools, such as Google, is the sheer number of “editors”. With more than 1.5 million contributors providing data, it far outweighs what is possible with a few thousand staffers. OpenStreetMap creates constantly-updated maps with details such as changes in roads, freeway expansion, and more. We’re talking about updates that happen every minute as opposed to once a quarter.
“This is a turning point for the mapping industry. The amount of effort and investment needed in order to provide high-quality turn-by-turn navigation using OSM crowd-sourced map data cannot be understated. We expect a significant return on our investments to create a better map platform for navigation using the free OSM.”
To help get OSM into Telenav has turned to skobbler, the first company to make use of the technology. Telenav acquired skobbler earlier in the year and will only serve to enhance the navigation experience.
In addition to the app new, Telenav also announced a new SDK for Scout Maps, which allows developers options to integrate OpenStreetMap and navigation features into their mobile apps.
Scout with OpenStreetMap is available in more than fifty markets and 200 countries around the globe.
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Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA now selling the Samsung Galaxy S5
The best smartphone yet by Samsung is now available at two more carries in the USA. Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA decided to introduce the Samsung Galaxy S5, and it’s available for the masses for $599.99. Both carriers are offering it with 4G LTE support, and also there are no contract commitments.
Below, you will see Boost Mobile new monthly plans, and you can get the Samsung Galaxy S5 on all of them:
| Price | $40 | $50 | $60 | |||
| Device Type | Any Boost Phone | Any Boost Phone | Any Boost Phone | |||
| Talk & Text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | |||
| Data | Unlimited – Includes | Unlimited – Includes | Unlimited – Includes | |||
| 500MB of high speed | 2.5GB of high speed | 5GB of high speed | ||||
| 3G/4G LTE data | 3G/4G LTE data | 3G/4G LTE data | ||||
And if you are fan of Virgin Mobile, then check out the following plans:
| Beyond Talk | Data | Messaging | Anytime Minutes | |||
| Plans |
Available 3G & 4G |
Available 3G & 4G |
||||
|
Speeds |
Speeds |
|||||
| $35/mo. | UNLIMITED | UNLIMITED | 300 | |||
| $45/mo. | UNLIMITED | UNLIMITED | 1200 | |||
| $55/mo. | UNLIMITED | UNLIMITED | UNLIMITED | |||
Are you planning to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy S5 from either of them? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: Virgin Mobile Newsroom
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A smartphone with a 3.2″ display – the LG L35
We know that LG is working really hard on their next successor, the LG G3, but just like they care about high end smartphones, they also have a soft corner for low-end and budget friendly smartphones. However, we are going through a time where even a 5-inch display seems small, but people, say hello to the LG L35. It’s a smartphone with a 3.2-inch display, Android 4.4 KitKat, 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage with a microSD card slot, a 1,540 mAh battery, and a 3MP primary camera.
This smartphone is for people who are sick of huge phones, and definitely for people who are looking for a budget friendly Android powered smartphone. It will be available in black and white color, and also you can expect it to have dual-SIM connectivity. Although no words on the price and release date, but I think it will cost something around $100. Also no words on the release date, but as the smartphone appears on LG.de, I guess that we will see this smartphone in European market sooner or later.
Are you looking forward to this teeny tiny smartphone? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: LG
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HTC M8 “Prime” rumored for exotic aluminum-silicon body and more
As specs of the LG G3 have been leaking out all over the internet, it has become evident that this monster of a phone will sport a QHD display of 2560×1440 pixels, 3GB RAM, Snapdragon 805 processor, and a huge battery at around 3200mAh. For the past couple years, LG has released their flagship phone after Samsung and HTC, mainly because of the better hardware they will be able to put in. So when the holidays come around, their new flagship will hopefully look better to the consumers.
Well this has HTC and Samsung scared apparently, as both are readying updated models of their already fantastic flagships that launched just around a month ago. We’ve been hearing rumors and supposedly seen the “Galaxy S5 Prime” already with near identical specs to the G3, now we’re hearing more about the “M8 Prime”.
The M8 Prime is rumored to sport a 5.5 inch QHD screen as well with 3GB of RAM and to be made of an “exotic material”, a composite of aluminum and liquid silicone, which can be described here. The phone is also rumored to be waterproof and blazing fast with a Cat. 6 LTE radio, capable of downloading up to 300Mbs.
With HTC announcing the name of its new phone, the HTC One Mini 2, this “M8 Prime” could very well be the HTC One Maxx 2, the successor to the somewhat underwhelming phablet of 2013.
source: evleaks
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Sprint introduces Total Equiptment Protection
Sprint has announced a new plan to offer new protection, security, and support to its customers with three different packages.
- The first package is the Replace It package, which allows you to get coverage on a broken or stolen phone and get it replace in a couple days. Sprint says this package could save you hundreds of dollars should something bad happen to your phone depending on your monthly plan.
- The second package is the Secure It package, which allows you to get automatic backups of everything on your device, including contacts and videos, and be able to restore everything should you lose your phone. This package also grants GPS tracking of your phone should you lose it and remotely lock it down. Lastly, this package also includes enhanced virus protection, which also promises to enhance your battery.
- The third package is Support It, which gives you access to a US-based tech expert for any questions and problems you have. This package also grants you Sprint’s online tutorials specific to your phone.
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AT&T debuts Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini as first VoLTE device
Today, AT&T debut their first ever smartphone with VoLTE technology. Presenting the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, AT&T’s first to have HD voice, and this ability is achieved with the help of Voice over LTE. The smartphone features some impressive features, like 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera with 1.9 MP front facing camera,and 1900mAh battery.
If you are ready to go HD, then you can grab this handset for $49.99 with a two year contract. If contract is not your piece of cake, then you can get it via AT&T Next, you can get it for $14.24 per month on 18 month installment options, and for $18.50 per month on a 12 month installment. As for now, the HD voice will be delivered to Minneapolis and Chicago at launch, and if you want to use the VoLTE, then there should be VoLTE powered devices on both ends, otherwise it wont work.
What do you think about Samsung’s new addition to their ever growing smartphone line?
Source: AT&T
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LG G3′s Quick Window feature leaks
LG G3 launch is getting closer and we’re getting more and more leaks, either the smartphone itself or the features it carries. In this case it’s the latter, although not exactly what you mean.
Yeah, we’re not talking about the feature that the phone will perform on its own, in this case it will need a Quick Cover accessory, as the one we’ve seen on the LG G2, and the feature should be called Quick Window. This time though, the window on the case itself will be round, instead of square-shaped, at least according to @evleaks. Thanks to evleaks’ great track record when it comes to leaks we’re quite certain this screenshot is the real deal and the recent Quick Cover leak only confirms that. It shows us all sorts of widgets that will be available to use in collaboration with the Quick Cover case, or so it seems, we’re still guessing here of course.
We should know more soon considering the launch of G3 is just a week away, it will launch on May 27 and the phone should look like this and you can also check out the official teaser video. Do you like the Quick WIndow feature? Do you intend to get the device when it launches?
SOURCE: @evleaks
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