Meizu officially launches the MX5 smartphone

Meizu has officially launched the Meizu MX5 smartphone today, bringing a full metal body to their flagship device. Meizu continues with MediaTek providing the computing power for their smartphone with the MX5 getting the Helio X10 chip and it gets 3GB of memory. What is different this year is the change from an LCD display used in last year’s MX4 to a new Samsung AMOLED display. In a curious twist, while the screen may have a little more “pop” now, it actually has a lower resolution as it moves up to 5.5-inches in size, but only runs at 1080p resolution.

In terms of other hardware included in the device, Meizu stuck with the same Sony 20.7 MP camera as last year. However, they have added a laser auto-focus system to help users capture moments quickly. To go with the rear camera, Meizu included a 5MP front-facing camera. Meizu also packed in a 3,150mAh battery, slightly larger than last year’s MX4 battery, that comes with their mCharge fast-charging technology. According to Meizu, a 10-minute charge will fill 25% of the battery’s capacity while a 40 minute charge will get it up to 60%. Meizu also took the fingerprint sensor from the MX4Pro and added it to the MX5 for security purposes.

The Meizu MX5 will come with an upgraded operating system, Flyme 4.5, which Meizu says includes over 100 new features.

The Meizu MX5 will be available in dark gray, silver and champagne gold colors. Meizu uses a color injection technology for the magnesium alloy frame and all metal components so even trim pieces will match.

Meizu is offering the MX5 with three different internal storage sizes – 16 GB for ¥ 1799 ($290 USD), 32 GB for ¥ 1999 ($322 USD), and 64 GB for ¥ 2399 ($387 USD).

source: Meizu

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Net neutrality and no roaming charges headed to Europe

Culminating a long, three-year process, European lawmakers engaged in a marathon negotiating session that wrapped up at 2 am last night in an effort to institute new rules regarding net neutrality and roaming fees for members of the European Union. The result of the negotiations is a set of “net neutrality” rules for the EU and a process to phase out roaming charges by June 2017.

In order to get rid of the roaming charges, lawmakers agreed to a phase out stage that will commence in 2016. During this time period, roaming fees will be capped at five cents per megabyte for data, five cents per minute for phone calls, and two cents per SMS message. Once fully implemented, users will still be subject to a fair use policy when roaming.

In terms of net neutrality, the EU did not go quite as far as the U.S. in enacting rules regarding Internet traffic. The new provisions still allow carriers and telecoms to prioritize certain traffic like live streaming TV as long as it does not negatively impact other users.

Günther Oettinger with Germany says,

“I welcome today’s crucial agreement to finally end roaming charges and establish pragmatic net neutrality rules throughout the EU. Both are essential for consumers and businesses.”

One area that did not get addressed in the final agreement was a method to manage sales of spectrum in EU countries. Despite a desire to see these sales aligned better, the various countries seem to see the spectrum as more valuable unfettered by such limitations.

source: Financial Times

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NVIDIA’s SHIELD Tablet and set-top box get four new titles

The library of games that are compatible with NVIDIA’s tablet and set-top box grows today with the arrival of four major titles. Among them is Valve’s Half-Life 2: Episode Two, another game from the fan-favorite developer that has agreed to bring its games to NVIDIA’s hardware. With the Tegra X1 processor inside, you should expect all games to run without any hiccups. There are now more than one hundred “high-quality games” available through the SHIELD Hub app designed for its tablet and set-top box while Google Play offers an amount higher than two hundred.

Hit the break for download links.

• Half-Life 2: Episode Two
• Q.U.B.E: Director’s Cut
• Never Alone
• Funk of Titans

NVIDIA also reminds us that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! is coming later this summer.

Source: NVIDIA

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Sprint announces “All-In” pricing with video jabs at competitors

Sprint announced today their own step to take a swing at changing how the wireless carrier industry operates. Promising to help end customer confusion over pricing plans for cell phone service, Sprint’s new “All-In” pricing provides a simple, clear, straightforward price for customers. The All-In Wireless plan will run $80 per month for unlimited talk, text and high-speed data and includes the price of a wireless smartphone.

In launching the new All-In Wireless, Sprint teamed up with soccer star David Beckham to create an ad that highlights the issues consumers are faced with when shopping for smartphones and cellular service. The extended version can be seen below and shorter takes will start airing on FOX’s coverage of the U.S. Women’s World Cup Match.

Sprint is currently offering two choices for a device with the new All-In Wireless plan – an Apple iPhone 6 or a Samsung Galaxy S6. Well-qualified customers can get the devices for zero down and the $20 per month payment is included in the $80 per month All-In price.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sprint Seeks to End Consumer Confusion & Frustration with Wireless Industry’s First-Ever “All-In” Pricing Plan

All-In Wireless includes choice of smartphone and unlimited talk, text and high-speed data

Sprint Calls for Pricing Transparency in Wireless; Unveils Campaign Featuring David Beckham on a Quest for a Simple, Understandable Offer

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), June 30, 2015 – Today, Sprint introduces the wireless industry’s first-ever “All-In” pricing plan, underscoring the company’s commitment to making wireless simpler, clearer and more straightforward for consumers. All-In Wireless counters the wireless industry’s current way of advertising by providing one clear monthly price for a smartphone and unlimited talk, text and high-speed data.

With All-In Wireless, consumers pay $80 per month for a wireless device and unlimited talk, text and high-speed data – the two most significant components on any wireless bill.

“We understand how frustrating and confusing shopping for wireless can be. At Sprint, we are doing things differently,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “We are telling customers, ‘This is your All-In price.’ So when they walk into our store or visit our website, they will see that $80 includes a smartphone and an unlimited plan to do the most important things they are going to do with the phone for an entire month: make calls, watch videos, listen to music, text a friend – you name it.”

Claure continued, “If you went to a restaurant that advertised a cheeseburger for 99-cents, but when you show up, they said it’s an extra $2 for the bun or $1 for lettuce, you would feel misled. Yet, that’s what the industry has been doing with its wireless plans. Why can’t everyone just advertise the full price of both the plan and the smartphone – an All-In plan? That was the idea behind what we’ve created.”

Sprint will promote All-In Wireless with advertising featuring international sports star and entrepreneur David Beckham. In the ads, Beckham goes from store to store, asking for a simple wireless plan with a consistent monthly cost. He is met with confusion and frustration at every stop – until he gets to a Sprint store, where he is offered All-In Wireless.

“When Marcelo and I talked, he said that for most people, buying a cell phone can be one of the most frustrating experiences imaginable,” Beckham said. “People want simple, honest and straightforward plans, but instead they get confusion. With Sprint All-In the aim is to make things simple and deliver value for people.”

The ads featuring Beckham launch tonight during the U.S. Women’s World Cup Match on the FOX Network. To watch an extended version of the Beckham ad now please visit http://www.youtube.com/v/QC22ZHo7Iak.

“It’s a genuine pleasure to work with such a dynamic and forward-thinking company. I really enjoyed making the advert and hopefully people will enjoy it too,” Beckham added.

With All-In, consumers pay $20 per month to lease one of our most popular smartphones, and $60 per month for unlimited text, talk and high-speed data while on the Sprint network (excludes taxes and surcharges).¹

Consumers pay $0 down and only a one-time, $36 activation fee.

Sprint believes this is the simplest, most straightforward, lowest-cost way to get a smartphone with unlimited data in wireless – without the confusion caused by other carriers who continue to only advertise part of the cost to draw people into their stores. But once at the store, consumers discover that the advertised price isn’t all in. They discover there are additional costs for the phone or the service. To watch Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure describe the importance of All In to today’s wireless customers please visit https://youtu.be/USZ3Xdz0oDk.

Sprint is also encouraging consumers to check their all-in pricing from other carriers and not be fooled by advertising gimmicks that only list the price of a phone or the price of a service plan making it difficult to understand the full story.

For example, Verizon advertises 10GB of data $80, but they don’t mention as loudly the additional monthly charges including $15 line access and $27.08 for the phone. AT&T frequently advertises 10GB of data for $100 per month, but downplays the additional monthly charges including $15 line access and $27.08 for the phone. T-Mobile is advertising 4 lines for $100, but doesn’t shout the additional $108.32 in monthly phone payments.

Sprint also believes every wireless company should offer a clear plan like All-In Wireless. In fact, Sprint is so confident about All-In Wireless, the company encourages customers to shop it around. If you’ve considered a deal from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile, ask them straight up: “What’s the All-In price?” Not the price on the tag or in the ad just for the service plan.

All-In Wireless accompanies Sprint’s commitment to improving its network every day. According to RootMetrics, in 111 markets measured in the first half of 2015, Sprint has been awarded a total of 156 first place (outright or shared) RootScore^® Awards for overall, reliability, speed, data, call, or text network performance.² Those numbers sound even more impressive when compared to last year’s results. In these same 111 markets, Sprint achieved 21 first-place award wins back in the first half of 2014.

Sprint All-In Wireless is available starting today in Sprint stores and on http://www.sprint.com/allin.

All phones will be available with Sprint Lease, the most affordable way to get the hottest new devices. With Sprint Lease, customers get the lowest monthly cost and lowest two-year cost for the device and plan. Well-qualified customers can receive a new phone every 24 months for $0 down.

For more information and downloadable materials, please visit the All In Wireless Press Kit.

About Sprint

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served more than 57 million connections as of March 31, 2015, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past four years. You can learn more and visit Sprint atwww.sprint.com or http://www.facebook.com/sprint and http://www.twitter.com/sprint.

¹ To improve data experience for the majority of users, throughput may be limited, varied or reduced on the network. Streaming video speeds will be limited to 600Kbps at all times, which may impact quality. Sprint may terminate service if off-network roaming usage in a month exceeds: (1) 800 min. or a majority of min.; or (2) 100MB or a majority of KB. Prohibited network use rules apply—see sprint.com/termsandconditions.

² Rankings based on 111 RootMetrics (January 1 – June 3, 2015) RootScore Reports for mobile performance as tested on best available plans and devices on four mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of Sprint. Visit http://www.rootmetrics.com for more details

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