T-mobile kicks off ‘Never Settle for Verizon’ campaign, free trial and more
One thing T-Mobile is known for is speaking up about the competition — loudly. This tends to go doubly for CEO John Legere. With that in mind, the Uncarrier is once again calling out Verizon with a new campaign that essentially makes fun of Verizon’s current “never settle” advertising campaign.
In a set of eight new ads, T-Mobile points out the many advantages the company says it holds over Big Red. Each ad ends with “never settle for Verizon”. Moving beyond the ads, T-Mobile is also holding a special “Never Settle” promotion that will be ran from May 13th until May 31st. If you are a Verizon customer, the new promo gives you the chance to sign up for two weeks of T-Mobile service and will be able to walk away without any further obligation to the Uncarrier if you don’t like what you see. Obviously you’ll need to return any phones T-Mobile gave you, but that’s it.
Of course, it is important to note that the trial requires you to first cancel your Verizon service. That means if you don’t stick with T-Mobile, you’ll either have to start back up with Verizon or move on to another carrier. If you canceled a Verizon contract, you’ll also owe Big Red any associated early termination fees. T-Mobile will cover your re-activation fees if you decide to go back to Verizon, however.
For those that stick with uncarrier past the trial period, T-Mobile will cover any early termination fees charged by Verizon. Of course, you will be required to hand in your old Verizon phone as part of the deal. What do you think of this trial? Is it worth switching from Big Red? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Here’s all the “Never Settle” ads, for those that want to check them out:
Oppo confirms its upcoming R7 handset will have a full metal unibody
Now that the Oppo R7’s name and release month have been officially confirmed by the company, it looks like we’re now getting some more information on what materials the handset will made from. Keeping in line with the metal-clad R5, Oppo’s new R7 handset will feature a full metal unibody.
As explained by the company:
Besides further increasing the metallic ratio, the OPPO R7 sports a metal unibody undergoing 48 polishing processes to retain the original metallic flavor as well as a curvy and lustrous charm, thus delivering a peerless feel in the hand.
In addition to the metallic unibody, the R7 will come with a 2.5D glass touchscreen, extremely narrow bezels, and will feature a super slim design – something we’ve now come to expect from the company’s ‘R’ line.
The super-thin Oppo R5 had a camera sensor that protruded visibly out of the chassis. This was ultimately a tradeoff that Oppo had to make to shave off millimeters without affecting image quality. And looking at the press image above, we can now see that the R7 will follow suit. Obviously we won’t be able to tell exactly how much the camera sensor sticks out until we get some hands-on time with the device, so we’ll need to hold off any judgement until the phone is announced sometime later this month.
OPPO’s R7 Will Have a Full Metal Unibody
Having been frequently exposed on major media and social sites, the excitement surrounding OPPO’s much-anticipated new phone, the R7, has become increasingly clear. With an ultra-thin body, super-narrow bezels and an officially confirmed 2.5D touch screen, the OPPO R7combines the most fashionable elements of the smartphone world.
As a leader of smartphone design and innovation, OPPO has been known for its classy product design and state-of-the-art manufacturing expertise. From the world’s first motorized rotating camera phone, the OPPO N3, to the world’s thinnest smartphone less than 5mm thick, the OPPO R5, and the OPPO R1C with its stunning sapphire glass back cover, OPPO has proven its strong all-round innovative strength.
As the successor to the OPPO R5, which boasts silk-like metallic texture, a strong body and a unique stainless steel micro-arc frame and back, the OPPO R7 has even more to offer. In addition to the 2.5D touch screen, it continues the metallic design of the premium R series to provide a luxurious feel as well as a high-quality visual experience. Besides further increasing the metallic ratio, the OPPO R7 sports a metal unibody undergoing 48 polishing processes to retain the original metallic flavor as well as a curvy and lustrous charm, thus delivering a peerless feel in the hand.
On the basis of the micro-arc frame of the R5, the R7 has even more thoughtful features in its body curves to fit the hand perfectly. Though the R7 adopts a metal unibody, it’s forged in a way which provides more curves to ensure optimum handling comfort.
As the time of release approaches, the OPPO R7 will soon reveal itself in all its glamor. Even with its other high specs aside,
About OPPO
OPPO is a global electronics and technology service provider that provides customers with the latest and most exquisite electronic devices and mobile internet service in over 20 countries such as the United States, China, Australia and many other countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. OPPO is dedicated to delivering customers with the most delightful electronic experience that is full of surprises through meticulous designs and smart technology. For moreinformation,pleasevisithttp://global.oppo.com.
LG G4 trial program launches, allows testing before device’s release
How about trying an LG G4 before actually buying one? Today, a trial program was announced that allows consumers in the United States to experience the G4 prior to its release next month.
Morris Lee, SVP and Head of North American Sales and Marketing at LG MobileComm, had this to say about the trial program:
“We’re very proud of the new LG G4 and confident that people will truly appreciate the impressive new camera, display, design and user interface. We look forward to rolling out this unique opportunity for some lucky U.S. consumers to ‘see the great and feel the great’ for themselves.”
You can sign up for the trial program by completing this form.
Gionee Elife E8 appears at TENAA with high-end specs
The successor to the Gionee Elife E7 seems to be quite the device for those that care about high-end specifications. The device, appropriately called the Elife E7, appeared in China through TENAA where both images and specifications were revealed.
Here are the key specifications:
- 6-inch, 2560×1440 resolution display
- Quad-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz with 3GB of RAM
- 32GB internal storage, microSD card slot for up to 128GB
- 3520mAh battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop covered by Amigo OS
- Rear fingerprint scanner
- Capactive buttons
- 164×82.3×9.6mm body
The Gionee Elife E8 is expected to be announced later this month.
Come comment on this article: Gionee Elife E8 appears at TENAA with high-end specs
Sprint lost money and customers during Q4 2014
The final quarter of 2014 was not pretty for Sprint as the carrier saw a drop in money and customers, two areas that are clearly not favorable for investors. Amid fierce competition with T-Mobile for placement as the third largest carrier in the United States, Sprint reported losing 201,000 postpaid customers; however, prepaid customers increased by 546,000. Despite generating $8.3 billion in the quarter, the carrier had a net loss of $224 million.
It looks like Marcelo Claure and his fellow Sprint executives are heading back to the drawing board.
Source: Sprint
Come comment on this article: Sprint lost money and customers during Q4 2014
What’s in Town Android app review
I travel a lot so often resort to apps with points of interest to determine my surroundings, and What’s in Town is an app with a difference that aims to provide information about not only the standard shopping and eating places, but also historic locations.
The user interface is incredibly straight forward and easy just to pick up and use. It’s this particular point which is one of What’s in Town’s strength – I don’t want to have to sit and try and figure out how an app works; I want to open it, see what’s around me, and go and this app does just that.
The different types of points of interest are colour coded and you’re able to filter on the type of location depending on your preference.
The points of interest are designation on the map that when clicked display additional information. The historic landmarks, for example, popup a Wikipedia page to give more information on that monument. What’s in Town also allows you to search for a specific landmark and search for locations within a certain radius of your location.
The database seems to be constantly updated with new points of interest appearing regularly.
Current towns in the app include:
Abingdon-on-Thames, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Aylesbury, Bedford, Beverley, Cambridge, Carlisle, Cumbria, Chelmsford, Chester, Chichester, Derby, Dorchester, Durham, Exeter, Gloucester, Guildford, Hereford, Hertford, Huntingdon, Ipswich, Lancaster, Leicester, Lewes, Lincoln, Maidstone, Matlock, Morpeth, Newport, Northallerton, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oakham, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Taunton, Trowbridge, Truro, Wakefield, Winchester, Worcester, York.
What’s in Town is a great start to a great idea and if the developer keeps the information expanding then this is a must-have app for anyone interested in historic landmarks around the UK, as well as the regular shopping and eating locations.
The app is available for free from the Google Play Store, and is supported by in-app purchases.
The post What’s in Town Android app review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Government scales back plans for license plate-tracking program
To say that there’s been some concern about the Department of Homeland Security’s on-again, off-again license plate-tracking initiative is something of an understatement. Despite fresh resistance from the ACLU, the agency is persisting with the project, but has revealed that it will walk back on some of its more far-reaching requirements. The original idea was to implement a nationwide system of license plate scanners that could track a suspect’s movements, making it easier for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency to follow and apprehend criminals. Now, however, the folks at Nextgov have uncovered a document, dated February 18th, that scales the scope of the setup to a minimum of 25 states.
The project brief also mandated that the private contractor chosen to supply the system should supply 30 million driver records a month — a figure that’s now down to just 6 million. When Nextgov asked the reasoning behind the changes, unnamed officials said that it was to enable more companies to be able to bid for the contract. That way, outfits that have less sophisticated, and possibly cheaper, data-capturing hardware can tender alongside larger outfits like Vigilant Video, which nearly won the contract in 2012. As far as the ICE is concerned, the proposed system isn’t being scaled back per se, although it’s clear that it may not be as all-powerful as officials had originally wanted.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Filed under: Misc
Source: Nextgov, FBO (.PDF)
IBM’s big bet on Watson is paying off with more apps and DNA analysis
IBM’s cognitive computer Watson is on a roll. After spinning it out as a $1 billion division last year, IBM went on to give Watson a flashy new home in Manhattan, made it a more tool for doctors with Watson Health Cloud, and it even proved its culinary chops with a new cookbook. Today IBM showed off several more examples of the supercomputer’s growing ecosystem, including new Watson-powered apps that can do things like find you the ideal therapist, or help hotel staff better help guests. It’s also partnered with more than a dozen cancer institutes who will use Watson to analyze DNA and offer personalized treatment profiles for patients. It may have started out somewhat gimmicky as a Jeopardy contestant, but IBM is also steadily showing how Watson could also be a truly useful tool for all of us.
What makes Watson special? IBM’s earlier supercomputers like Deep Blue and Blue Gene (which was actually a series of machines) were powerful for their time, but they were never focused on applications for normal consumers. Watson, with its natural language recognition and ability to sift through mounds of data, is significantly more user friendly. And while we certainly can’t call it conscious, it’s IBM’s most concerted effort in building artificially intelligent supercomputers.
IBM showed off several Watson-powered apps when it opened its new Watson headquarters last year, but today we got a glimpse at a bit more variety. Decibel, a music discovery startup, tapped into the supercomputer’s smarts to build MusicGeek, which could put an end to those baffling song recommendations you get from other music services. Go Moment is using Watson for its Rev1 app, which gives hotel staff a way to quickly respond to questions from guests. And Arria NLG has built an app that helps energy companies stay within regulatory guidelines, making it easier for managers to make sense of thousands of pages of legal and technical jargon.
As for those partnerships with cancer institutes, it’s yet another part of the company’s Watson Health initiative. Watson has been positioned for a while as a boon for doctors when it comes to diagnosis. Just plug in a few symptoms and Watson can bring up plenty of potentially relevant illnesses — many that even your doctor might not think of. Now Watson’s taking that a step further with DNA analysis.
“Determining the right drug combination for an advanced cancer patient is alarmingly difficult, requiring a complex analysis of different sources of Big Data that integrates rapidly emerging clinical trials information with personalized gene sequencing,” said Norman Sharpless, director of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a statement. “We are partnering with IBM in an effort to solve this decision problem with the help of cognitive technology and to improve the decisions we make with our patients to maximize their chance for cure.”
[Photo credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ returns this year and adds… projectiles?
Get ready to Ride again. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is heading to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year, with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions slated to launch shortly afterward, Game Informer‘s June cover story confirms. The game is published by Activision and it’s in development at Robomodo, the studio behind 2009’s Tony Hawk: Ride, 2010’s Tony Hawk: Shred and 2012’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 may bear the series’ classic numerical name, but it has a few fresh additions, including power-ups and “the ability to shoot projectiles for specific missions,” the site says. Players will be able to create and share skate parks, and the game features online co-op and competitive play. We learned in 2014 that Activision was back in the Tony Hawk game, though details remained vague until today. Considering those details included “projectiles,” the veil of mystery makes sense.
Source: Tony Hawk on Facebook, Game Informer
JXE Streams: Blasting robot dogs in ‘Wolfenstein: The Old Blood’
One year ago, Machine Games did an unbelievable thing: it made Wolfenstein relevant again. id Software’s 1992 original is still fondly remembered; it was, after all, the only game in town where you could eat a bowl of dog food before blowing up Robo Hitler. The series had grown stale over the decades, though, a relic rather than an enduring institution. Wolfenstein: The New Order was a monumentally impressive resurrection with solid action on PS4 and Xbox One alongside a surprisingly moving, if simple, story. Now Machine Games is back with Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and we’re playing it for your viewing pleasure on today’s stream.
Join us here in this post, at Engadget.com/gaming or over on Twitch.tv/Joystiq for a solid 90 minutes of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood starting at 3:30PM ET. What was old B.J. Blazkowicz getting up to before napping his way into the ’60s? We’ll find out together.
If you enjoy our streams, please follow us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq and bookmark Engadget.com/gaming.
[We’re playing Wolfenstein: The Old Blood on PlayStation 4, streamed through an Elgato Capture HD via OBS at 720p.]
AIVAnet 