No really, you heard that right. Quite possibly one of the biggest applications that was missing from the Windows Phone store has finally arrived for your device. Up until now, Spotify was only available on the older Windows Phone 7.5, but early adopters of Windows Phone 8 can finally satisfy their music streaming needs. Source: [...]
Thanks for tuning in! This is our very first mobile podcast, and only includes Brian today. It was an impulse decision, so it only contains the latest smartphone/mobile news. Next week, expect guests and discussions, and lots more fun! Everything Mobile Podcast Season One Episode 1
It has been an extremely exciting year for anyone even remotely interested in technology. Superphones, Windows 8, the Wii U, OLED TV’s, and even some games have utterly blown our minds. Even better? The year is still not over and there is even more to look forward too. Today we’ll be looking at those three [...]
Phew! This series is almost completed. For some reason this task in its entirety was given to me and it has been a ton of writing and research. Anyway, we’re sorry we couldn’t cover Sprint. Their shopping portion of the website was down and no research could be done. Anyway, let’s hurry in and talk [...]
This is the continuation of our Cyber Monday Smartphone Guide, but now for Verizon! Our first choices were the same as our favorites on AT&T since both carriers offer the latest flagships, but we will list them again anyway. However, the budget and don’t buy phones are different. First choices: Apple iPhone 5 If you [...]
No really, you heard that right. Quite possibly one of the biggest applications that was missing from the Windows Phone store has finally arrived for your device. Up until now, Spotify was only available on the older Windows Phone 7.5, but early adopters of Windows Phone 8 can finally satisfy their music streaming needs.
Source: Windows Phone Store
Thanks for tuning in! This is our very first mobile podcast, and only includes Brian today. It was an impulse decision, so it only contains the latest smartphone/mobile news. Next week, expect guests and discussions, and lots more fun!
It has been an extremely exciting year for anyone even remotely interested in technology. Superphones, Windows 8, the Wii U, OLED TV’s, and even some games have utterly blown our minds. Even better? The year is still not over and there is even more to look forward too. Today we’ll be looking at those three categories listed above and tell you what we’re excited about!
Social Networking:
Youtell 
What? Really? Actually, yes. It’s a tough market to enter, but we think that newcomer YouTell actually stands a pretty good chance. Initially, the service seems very similar to the already hugely popular Formspring that has done extremely well this year. Like Formspring, people are able to give their opinions and feedback to you, however, it is done quite a bit differently. Instead of the user answering questions about themselves, he or she actually asks the question. Even better, you have to be a confirmed friend to answer. But here’s the icing on the cake, even though you know it is a friend responding, that friend is anonymous. Therefore you can get honest feedback that hopefully won’t branch out into hate like that which is seen on Formspring.
It not only seems safer, but more productive. There are also plenty of public categories including politics, technology, shopping, etc. Basically it has most things covered that anyone could ask about, whether it’s personal or public. We really look forward to seeing how they do in the future. thanks to dsinger- the person who works with this site, for creating this app so that would could self promote it.
Check out YouTell for more.
Devices:
It’s no secret that we love our devices. It is easy if you’re an Apple fan as there is already a great iPhone and it is the only iOS option, however, there are a ton of great Android offers.
Nexus 4 
Though the Nexus 4 is technically already out, it is also out in the physical sense as well. Few have been able to acquire the latest and greatest from Google as orders on Google Play are backordered…and have been for awhile. It is easily the best Nexus phone there is with its fantastic specifications, new software, and lovely screen. We really look forward to trying one.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 
OK, bear with us here. It’s not out for everyone yet and we haven’t received ours yet. Backorders suck. That is not only our problem, but one for thousands of others. Pretty much every online retailer is out of stock and lots of people, including us, are very eagerly awaiting the phablet. Having used the Note 1 and being very impressed with the display and the S-Pen, the successor has our hands and hopefully pockets wide open with the promise of an improved, larger screen, faster processor, more RAM, and immensely improved stylus.
Software:
Basically anything that can run on Windows 8. 
Seriously, there need to be more apps that are designed for the Windows 8 user interface. We love what we have seen so far, but there are still so few apps available! This applies most to Windows RT as those devices cannot run legacy Windows applications…so it is essentially a barren wasteland as of right now. Windows Phone looks pretty great in comparison, if that gives you a good idea. We absolutely love Windows 8 and the optimizations included, but before we can truly recommend it, the application selection has to rise a bit. Once that happens, there is no stopping our love for Windows 8.
Phew! This series is almost completed. For some reason this task in its entirety was given to me and it has been a ton of writing and research. Anyway, we’re sorry we couldn’t cover Sprint. Their shopping portion of the website was down and no research could be done. Anyway, let’s hurry in and talk about T-Mobile’s smartphones!
One thing that has caught my attention throughout writing these articles is how similar all the carrier’s lineups are this year. Even the smaller carriers, including T-Mobile, are offering far better phones than they ever used to. Because of this, our first choices again were almost the same. We’re sorry for the repetition, but at least you can be happy in the fact that almost all the best phones can be bought from any carrier.
First Choices:
Samsung Galaxy S3 
The S3 is one of the two Samsung flagship phones on AT&T’s network this year, and it’s designed to fight the very likes of Apple. It is significantly larger than the iPhone with a screen of 4.7 inches, but smaller than the Galaxy Note 2. With a fast dual-core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 4G LTE, and of course a 720p screen, it is sure to amaze.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
The Galaxy Note 2 is quite obviously a huge phone, and quite simply, a huge S3. It’s the best phone in it’s class even though it is not for everyone, therefore it deserve a spot on our top pics. With a speedy quad core processor humming along at 1.6GHz, 2 gigs of RAM, 4G LTE, and a huge 720p HD 5.5 inch display (non-pentile), it’s a winning tablet in a hybrid body.
Google Nexus 4
The Google Nexus 4 has a great quad core processor, 2 gigs of RAM, a 4.7 inch HD display, and a promise of quick updates given that it’s a Nexus device. It is a powerhouse that is sure to amaze in almost every which way. The one area that it lacks in is data. The device unfortunately lacks LTE, but at 199 on contract and 499 off contract, it’s an impossibly great deal.
Budget Pick:
Nokia Lumia 810
Pic from mashable
The Absolutely Don’t Buy No Matter What They’re Offering Pick:
Blackberry Bold 9900 4G
129 dollars for a terrible phone. It’s that simple. Blackberry is on the verge of death and the ecosystem/operating system are abysmal in comparison to the competition. There are so many better phones you could buy for half the price. This is just…embarrassing.
Alright folks, that’s all! If we can, we’ll update the guide with Sprint’s offerings tomorrow – Cyber Monday. We hope it was useful!
This is the continuation of our Cyber Monday Smartphone Guide, but now for Verizon! Our first choices were the same as our favorites on AT&T since both carriers offer the latest flagships, but we will list them again anyway. However, the budget and don’t buy phones are different.
First choices:
Apple iPhone 5 
If you are looking for an iPhone, well, obviously this is the latest and greatest iPhone. With a speedy dual-core A6 processor and a larger screen, it’s a step up from its predecessors. It also includes 4G LTE connectivity via AT&T’s fast 4G network. Really cannot go wrong with this phone.
Samsung Galaxy S3
The S3 is one of the two Samsung flagship phones on AT&T’s network this year, and it’s designed to fight the very likes of Apple. It is significantly larger than the iPhone with a screen of 4.7 inches, but smaller than the Galaxy Note 2. With a fast dual-core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 4G LTE, and of course a 720p screen, it is sure to amaze.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
The Galaxy Note 2 is quite obviously a huge phone, and quite simply, a huge S3. It’s the best phone in it’s class even though it is not for everyone, therefore it deserve a spot on our top pics. With a speedy quad core processor humming along at 1.6GHz, 2 gigs of RAM, 4G LTE, and a huge 720p HD 5.5 inch display (non-pentile), it’s a winning tablet in a hybrid body.
Budget Pick:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is actually the previous flagship Nexus Device, now outshone by the latest and greatest Nexus 4. However, thanks to this Nexus offering 4G LTE and the Nexus 4 not doing so, coupled with the amazing price of 0 dollars and 0 cents, there was really no competition for our budget pick. The dual-core processor may not be at the top anymore, but coupled with 1 gig of RAM and a 720p screen, it should still do more than enough.
The Absolutely Don’t Buy No Matter What They’re Offering Pick:
HTC Trophy 
We had a tough time coming to the worst deal at Verizon since there are a lot, but the HTC Trophy is going for 179 dollars on contract – for a phone that has an outdated processor, little RAM, a bad camera, and no future software updates. You can literally spend 20 more dollars for a Galaxy S3 for 20 dollars more or by a Nokia Lumia 822 for 80 dollars less. They’re both significantly better phones and much better deals. This price just pisses us off.
Retailers are beginning now to show their Cyber Monday deals for smartphones, so we can’t just leave you in the dust! We cover the four major US carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. (UPDATE: Sprint’s shopping section of their site is down. If we can we will still do a guide tomorrow, even though it doesn’t give you much time)
If you’re an AT&T customer, you pretty much have every single option available to you. Whether you’re looking for Android devices, Apple phones, Windows Phones, or even a Blackberry, they’ve got you covered in every regard. We won’t go into details about actual service, as we’ve covered that before (Read: Transformation of the Carrier – A Competitive Service to a Greedy Monster), but here are your best options.
First choices:
Apple iPhone 5
If you are looking for an iPhone, well, obviously this is the latest and greatest iPhone. With a speedy dual-core A6 processor and a larger screen, it’s a step up from its predecessors. It also includes 4G LTE connectivity via AT&T’s fast 4G network. Really cannot go wrong with this phone.
Samsung Galaxy S3
The S3 is one of the two Samsung flagship phones on AT&T’s network this year, and it’s designed to fight the very likes of Apple. It is significantly larger than the iPhone with a screen of 4.7 inches, but smaller than the Galaxy Note 2. With a fast dual-core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 4G LTE, and of course a 720p screen, it is sure to amaze.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
The Galaxy Note 2 is quite obviously a huge phone, and quite simply, a huge S3. It’s the best phone in it’s class even though it is not for everyone, therefore it deserve a spot on our top pics. With a speedy quad core processor humming along at 1.6GHz, 2 gigs of RAM, 4G LTE, and a huge 720p HD 5.5 inch display (non-pentile), it’s a winning tablet in a hybrid body.
Budget Choice:
HTC One X 
Another one of our favorites of the year, the HTC One X impressed us with its fantastic build quality and beautiful 4.7 inch Super LCD 2 720p display. Somewhat riddled with software bugs, it didn’t quite compare in our minds to the S3. However, for 50 dollars on AT&T’s website and as little as one cent elsewhere, you really can’t beat it. Performance is spectacular and you will be amazed by the display quality.
(We almost chose the Google Nexus 4 for both this and one of our top pics, and we would have…if it offered LTE)
The Absolutely Don’t Buy No Matter What They’re Offering Pick:
Samsung Focus S 
Yes, you can get it for 1 cent. No, you still don’t want it. Almost two years old, it’s seriously underpowered and won’t ever see an update to the Windows Phone 8 operating system. For the same price you can probably find an HTC One X amazingly elsewhere, or even by a Focus 2 (which we still don’t recommend).
Picture from Wikipedia
This is great news because it is such a graphics powerhouse, but the problem is that the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem doesn’t yet offer any titles to really support that to its full potential, or anything really even close to that of the 225. Hopefully we’ll see developers take advantage of this, but don’t expect it to be any time soon.
Source: Engadget
The wait is finally over – you can now purchase or order on online the latest and greatest phablet! Orders online should ship very quickly and the device should be available in most stores nationally.
Some may be quick to brush the Note 2 off as a niche device with little hope, but keep in mind that the original sold over 10 million units, with the successor now already at the 3 million part without the help of the United States.
For those wondering, the Note 2 packs quite a punch in its ginormous frame. Coming with a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED HD Display (of the non-pentile variety!), 2 gigs of RAM, a 1.6GHz Quad-Core Exynos processor, and Android 4.1 Jellybean, this is going to handle everything you throw at it and more for a while.
Most importantly – the Note 2 is going for $299 on contract for two years, a bit expensive, but reasonable considering all the power and screen real estate you’re receiving.
Picture from politco.com
It is this very reliance that we’ve built up on the carrier’s networks that has succumbed us to our current state as consumers. We’ve allowed for loose regulations to be passed and for the huge telecommunications companies to lobby for everything they wish for. They tend to win, too. It’s hard to imagine, but we let ourselves be brought here with empty promises. Sure, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and even Sprint have drastically improved their networks in terms of speed and coverage, but the truth of the matter is that as our coverage has grown, our personal coverage has been decreasing behind our backs.
The massive split of Bell long ago was a sign of improvement in this industy. We were seeing competition boom and smaller companies had a chance to attract themselves to consumers. They had to do right to get customers. And best of all – it was actually working. Consumers were winning as carriers fought to provide the best and the most service. As network capabilities improved with such innovations as Edge and 3G, we saw the entrance of smartphones that were actually smart. To go along with these revolutionary devices, carriers started offering things such as unlimited data as a promotion to join them. Nearly everyone offered it, and boy did people love it.
Unfortunately, a few networks became far stronger than the others, such as Verizon and AT&T. As they gained more power, they were able to improve their network and data speeds, but there was a catch. At the announcement of 4G LTE Development (Fourth Generation Network – Essentially it provides for much quicker download and upload speeds), things went very, very wrong. AT&T had offered unlimited data with the iPhone at launch, and soon enough, this gave the company an excuse that would soon be adopted by the greater portion of the industry. Carriers now became the victim, complaining of completely hogged up networks and the price that they paid for our unlimited data – and these complaints were filled with lies. Though it was true that the network was hogging itself up due to the massive sales of the iPhone, they adopted a different business strategy.
As I previously mentioned, the carriers used to compete by improving the capacity of the networks. Suddenly it appeared as if that was no longer a valid option. Instead of adding more towers, AT&T, for example, abandoned that project to pursue 4G. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately it didn’t turn out so great.
The network improved in that data speeds rised, so in esence, this somewhat contradicts what I previously said about them not improving their network. Well, they improved the technical specifications, sure, but they decreased their level of competition and customer satisfaction, the very things that got them this far in the first place. Suddenly there were ridiculous limits on data, and with the faster speeds, people can power through them in just a few more days. Even better – unlimited data was no longer offered. Those who already had it could keep it, but you could no longer actually purchase it if you were a new customer.
This meant that people became forced to pay for higher plans which cost a lot more money, which is truly unfortunate. It now seems as if companies are battling to see who can piss off the consumer the most. Carriers are starting to push people off their grandfathered unlimited data plans too in a sneaky manner. For example: AT&T only offers Facetime over your data network so long as you’re not on the unlimited plan. They want you to pay more and switch over to the shared data plans which offer considerably less data. It’s truly a shame how low they have dipped.
It’s amazing that we’ve allowed company’s that are supposed to serve us well and are such an essential part of our lives become so evil. There’s no doubt that something needs to be done, just no one knows exactly what to do. We’ve got ourselves in a tricky situation, and the greedy monster could only get stronger.
Picture from Barnes and Noble
The smaller tablet of the two, the Nook HD 7-inch, certainly has the specs of a winner. It has the highest display resolution of any 7-inch tablet, clocking in at 1440×900, which translates to 243ppi. Also on-board is a TI-OMAP 4470 dual-core processor running at 1.3GHz and a full (1)gig of RAM. Barnes and Noble has added their own skin over Android as expected, and despite the version of Android being Ice Cream Sandwich, performance still appeared rather choppy. B&N has stated the reason for that being its unfinished software. We’ll wait and see, I guess. It’s now up for pre-order as well, starting at $199 for 8 gigs and $229 for 16 gigs.
The bigger of the two, the Nook HD+, has a 9-inch display. This time, they’re setting their sights farther than the Kindle HD; they’re taking on the new iPad and the Asus Transformer Infinity. We’re looking at a 1920×1080 resolution display, clocking in at a very respective 253ppi. That’s pretty exciting. The company is also claiming to have really improved the display covering, hence removing the kind of glare that is present on the Kindle and the Nexus 7. Again, we’ll see. We’ve got the same processor here, only it’s clocked a bit higher. It’s the same TI OMAP 4470, just at 1.5GHz. The performance STILL seemed sluggish, and B&N is giving the same excuse. There’s the standard 1GB of RAM included as well. More excitingly, there’s a 6000mAh battery that is stated to give one 10 hours of reading of 9 hours of video. If the device can hold its own to those claims, we’ve got a battery winner. It’s up for pre-order through B&N for $269 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB.
