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Orange offers free Wikipedia access to mobile users in Africa and the Middle East
There are more than 70 million Orange customers across Africa and the Middle East, but only about 10 million are able to access the web from their handsets. That gap may be narrowing, though, now that the provider has decided to offer free mobile access to Wikipedia for users throughout the region. Under the program, users with an Orange SIM card and a web-enabled phone will be able to access the site as many times as they want, without incurring any data charges. Heralding the partnership as the first of its kind, Orange says its new initiative should make it easier for emerging market consumers to access the online encyclopedia, which Wikimedia Foundation director Sue Gardner described as a "public good." The offer is slated to roll out across 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East, beginning early this year. Find more details in the press release, after the break.
Verizon releases Q4 results, sees jump in revenue, broadband subscribers, net loss
Verizon has just come out with its Q4 results this morning, ending the fiscal year with yet another solid revenue report, and a decidedly less rosy net loss. According to the provider, total revenue reached $18.3 billion during the final quarter of 2011, up 13 percent from last year. Verizon saw a particularly notable spike in data revenue, which reached $6.3 billion, representing a 19.2 percent increase over the year, and comprising nearly 42 percent of all revenue. Overall, though, VZW finished the quarter with a net loss of $2.02 billion, compared to the $2.64 billion profit it saw last year. The company also saw an increase in its subscriber base, adding 98,000 broadband customers in the span of a quarter, including 201,000 FiOS internet users, 194,000 new FiOS video subscribers, and a net addition of 1.2 million postpaid customers. As far as demographics go, smartphones now comprise a full 44 percent of Verizon's consumer base, up from 39 percent last quarter. For the full year, total revenue finished at $70.2 billion, up 10.6 percent from Big Red's 2010 figures. For more stats and breakdowns, check out the full PR after the break.
HTC Velocity runs impressive speed test on Australia's new 4G network
How fast is Telstra's new 4G network? Pretty darned fast, according to a recent speed test that Ausdroid ran on an HTC Velocity -- Australia's first 4G handset. As the above image clearly demonstrates, the device impressively managed to reach download speeds of 32.82Mbps, with upload rates of 11.26Mbps. Ausdroid was quick to point out that speeds will likely vary across Telstra's network, though it wasn't the only one to report astronomic numbers. Trevor Long, in fact, actually managed to top Ausdroid's results, with a whopping 39.85Mbps downstream, and 11.88Mbps upstream. He also posted an image to his Twitter account, just to rub it in. Update: Long has actually outdone himself yet again, reaching speeds of 40.77Mbps (down) and 20.07Mbps (up). Photographic evidence after the break. [Thanks, Jason]
Verizon reportedly trials VoLTE services in two cities, eyes nationwide rollout next year
Verizon's Voice over LTE (VoLTE) platform has been in the works for a while now, and according to industry insiders, it's about ready to hit the big time. Catharine Trebnick, an analyst at Northland Capital Markets, told Light Reading Mobile this week that the service has already launched on a trial basis in two cities, and that Big Red plans to roll it out on a nationwide level in 2013. According to Light Reading Mobile, Trebnick's claims were later corroborated by a second, anonymous source. Verizon, as you may recall, had previously pegged 2012 for the commercial launch of its new platform, and could still achieve that goal with launches in select markets, before going live on a nationwide basis next year, as rumored. The company, however, is playing its cards close to the chest, saying in a statement that it's "continuing to work on VoLTE and the services it brings, and will share any launch or availability plans in due course."
Camera-less iPhone 4S now available in Singapore, military approves
Rhyming schemes aside, it's hard to imagine why anyone would want a camera-less iPhone 4S. But that's exactly what Singaporean operator M1 is offering today, with the launch of a new line of "non-camera" iPhones. As it turns out, Singapore's military prohibits its soldiers from owning camera-equipped cellphones, which presents problems for the many men who have to serve a mandatory two-year term. With M1's new modified iPhone 4 and 4S, though, they'll be in the clear, since both devices have been approved by no less an authority than Singapore's Ministry of Defense, or MINDEF. According to the provider, both front- and rear-facing cameras have been completely removed from the devices, and "may not be reinstalled." They're all available now on a two-year plan, for about $38 more than their fully-outfitted counterparts. Singapore's two other operators, SingTel and StarHub, tell CNET that they're also looking to roll out a line of MINDEF-approved iPhones, though neither could offer a timeline for their release.
Samsung's Bada - Tizen merger still looking pretty likely
Last week, rumors began circulating around Samsung's Bada OS, with Forbes reporting that the platform would soon be merged with Intel's Tizen project. If finalized, the move would reportedly allow Bada apps to run on Tizen, though it remains unclear whether or not a decision has been made yet. On Monday, a company spokesman apparently confirmed these rumors to Reuters, though Samsung later denied these claims, in a statement provided to All Things D: Samsung and other members of Tizen Association have not made a firm decision regarding the merge of bada and Tizen. We are carefully looking at it as an option to make the platforms serve better for customers. As Samsung's essential part of multi-platform portfolio, bada will continue to play an important role in democratizing smartphone experience in all markets. Samsung will also support open source based development and continue to work together with other industry stakeholders.So, um, is it happening? We'll let you know.
Leaked screenshots reveal new details on Nokia N9 MeeGo update
New details on the forthcoming MeeGo update for Nokia N9 users have just emerged this morning, courtesy of a batch of leaked screenshots and firmware information. Originally posted by a user on talk.maemo.org, the shots point to many upcoming functions with which Android and iOS users are already familiar, including copy-paste browser support and a notably iOS-like folder layout. Also included in the screenshots are support for video calls and tweaks to the OS' camera and gallery apps, though details remain unclear. Equally unclear is the release date for PR1.2, though the screenshots cite a build date of January 30th, so it may very well be nearing.
Samsung eyes Nokia's cellphone throne, seems pretty confident about it
Nokia has enjoyed a healthy 14-year reign as the world's top cellphone manufacturer, but Samsung thinks that run will come to an end this year. Speaking to reporters at CES last night, Samsung CEO Choi Gee-Sung said his company overtook Espoo in revenue last quarter, and predicted that it'll soon pass Nokia in shipments, as well. Choi's forecast was apparently based on the Korean firm's strong momentum, coupled with Nokia's recent struggles. The executive went on to say that Samsung's sales have grown at a surprisingly quick rate, and that the company plans to ramp up investment in the coming years. "With the current sales growth rate, we are likely to... achieve the 2015 sales target of $200 billion earlier [than expected]," Choi explained. Consider the gauntlet laid.
Stephen Elop: Nokia Windows Phone coming to AT&T, will support LTE
Stephen Elop has just taken the stage at AT&T's Developer Summit here at CES, taking the opportunity to confirm that an LTE-enabled Nokia Windows Phone will indeed be heading to the carrier. The exec didn't offer too many details beyond that, but promised to reveal more at his company's event this afternoon, scheduled for 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT. Could it be the Lumia 900 we've been expecting? We'll have to wait a little longer to find out, but will be sure to keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD coming to AT&T: 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, LTE, 'razor-thin'
AT&T has just added a new handset to its stable of devices today, introducing the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD at its Developer Summit keynote, here at CES. Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, this "razor-thin" handset boasts a spacious 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 resolution), boasts LTE support, and comes with a removable battery. No word yet on pricing, but AT&T plans to bring it to market within "the coming months." For slightly more details, head past the break for press pics and the full PR.
FCC approves mysterious Archos DECT device, may or may not be secret death ray
It's amazing, it's mysterious and it's hard to say exactly what it does. On Friday, the FCC passed a device described as "a handset of internet tablet with DECT," suggesting that the mystery gadget may be some sort of bizarre marriage between a DECT cordless phone and a tablet. Given the "Smart Home Phone" name on the back of the product, the tablet functionality could be used to view contacts and caller data. We'll report additional details as they become available, but until then, the person with the best guess as to what this thing actually does gets the peace of mind of a job well done.
Find My Car Smart app uses Bluetooth 4.0 to help iPhone 4S owners do the obvious
Do you have an iPhone 4S? Do you drive a car? Do you have amnesia? If you answered yes to at least two-and-a-half of these questions, you'll probably be interested in Find My Car Smart -- a Kickstarter project that wants to help dudes find their cars, with the help of Bluetooth 4.0 technology. The system is relatively straightforward, consisting of nothing more than an iOS app (available now on iTunes for $0.99), and a USB-based Bluetooth proximity adapter. All you have to do is download the app, stick the dongle in your car, and let your iPhone 4S automatically mark your parking spot. Whereas similarly-designed apps typically require users to manually record their car's location before leaving the lot, Find My Car Smart allows you to forget even that, since the app will automatically record your GPS coordinates. FMC Smart says it won't start shipping adapters until it reaches its Kickstarter funding goal, though it's aiming to deliver its first 500 devices by January. For more details, hit up the links below.
Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug breaks messaging hub, hard reset is the only remedy
An SMS message on your Windows 7.5 handset could knock messaging out cold, a one shot kill you can't prepare for. Apparently, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional messaging client which can only be restored via a hard reset. The flaw is not device-specific and has been found to affect other parts of the OS, locking up your handset if you've pinned a friend as a live tile and that buddy posts the magic bug words on Facebook or Windows Live Messenger. Fixing the problem requires quick tapping fingers, as you've got to remove the pinned tile after rebooting before it flips and freezes the phone again. Before you go abandoning WP7's ship, just know that SMS issues are a known phenomenon and have affected all the major mobile players, iOS and Android included. Until Microsoft releases a fix, cross your fingers and hang tight, but in the meantime, all you mobile masochists can see the bug in action after the break.
Nokia Lumia 710 official on T-Mobile: HSPA+ 14.4, 3.7-inch ClearBlack display, available January 11th for $49 on contract
Go ahead and take that holiday and even some time to celebrate because Espoo's ushering in the new year with the stateside bow of its Lumia 710. This lower-hanging Mango phone, which we first met at Nokia World, has already begun rolling out to markets worldwide in recent weeks and, now, is poised to enter the U.S. brandishing a Magenta banner and $49 on two-year contract price. That's right, T-Mobile has snatched up exclusive rights to the 3.7-incher, which is mostly unchanged from its initial unbranded incarnation, with the same 800 x 480 ClearBlack LCD display, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of storage, 5 megapixel rear camera with single LED flash, WiFi and Bluetooth on board. Naturally, both parties have loaded the device up with a fair share of pre-installed apps like Drive, MS Office, ESPN, T-Mobile TV and Netflix, but you don't have to let that clutter up your clean live-tiled look -- it's all uninstallable. The mid-range handset also runs along the operator's HSPA+ 14.4Mbps network, so you're in store for some heady "4G" speeds should you decide to take the plunge this January 11th when it hits stores. Head on past the break for the official presser. %Gallery-141787%
Microsoft Tag adds support for QR codes and NFC, seeks barcode dominance
Last year, Microsoft Tag shed its beta skin and stepped out into the wild world of multi-colored barcodes. Now, Redmond has decided to revamp and expand its system, with additional support for both QR codes and NFC capabilities. The update effectively allows businesses and individuals to create their own proprietary Tags or QR codes, while enabling consumers to scan said codes with their Microsoft Tag apps, or NFC-enabled smartphones. The new features are now available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry handsets, reflecting Microsoft's ambitions to dominate a space that has yet to fully develop.
Android Market web store update adds user review filters, changes lives
It looks like Google has rolled out yet another update to its Android Market web store, bringing a slew of new filtering features for especially investigative users. In particular, the refresh allows consumers to filter user reviews by a handful of parameters, including star ratings, app version and device model. Best of all, you can use any or all of these filters simultaneously, thereby allowing you to isolate, for example, all five-star reviews of a specific app from users of a specific handset. It certainly sounds like a useful addition, and one you can check out for yourself, at the source link below.
Huawei Honor gets Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade, feels honored
It looks like the Huawei Honor has been honored with a helping of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Chinese manufacturer posted a "demo-build" of the update to its support page today, offering Android 4.0 in both simplified Chinese, as well as the standard suite of languages included in the Android pack. The update comes less than a month after the release of Ice Cream Sandwich's source code, and well in advance of some other manufacturers. You can take it for a spin now, at the source link below.
Sphero shipments delayed due to high demand, won't be here-o until January
Our hearts were aflutter with anticipation when the Sphero went up for pre-order last month, but that excitement has since been supplanted by a big knot of disappointment, because the smartphone-controlled robotic ball won't be hitting the market until after the holiday season. In a letter published yesterday, Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian attributed his company's setback to a fundamental economic quandary. "Demand has been greater than expected and our production capabilities are slower than we planned," Berberian wrote. "What that means is only a handful of orders are going to be fulfilled before the holidays and the majority of orders will be fulfilled in January." Writing on behalf of the manufacturer, Berberian went on to accept full blame for the delay, with rather admirable honesty: "We simply underestimated the number of units we'd need to make and, more importantly, we miscalculated how long it would take to bring up the production line." To make up for it, Orbotix is offering free expedited shipping to all customers who pre-ordered the device in time for the holidays, along with a free Sphero t-shirt.
Nokia Lumia 710 now shipping, global rollout slated for 'coming weeks'
It's been a few months coming, but today, Nokia announced that its Lumia 710 handset has finally hit store shelves in Taiwan, ahead of its broader international release. Priced at around €270 (or about $332), the Mango-laced handset will arrive in stores across Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Russia over the next seven days, before expanding to other global markets "over the coming weeks." The 3.7-inch device joins the Lumia 800 as Nokia's latest Windows Phone offering, though it remains to be seen whether or not it'll make its way to T-Mobile anytime soon, as earlier rumors indicated. For more details on the phone, check out Nokia's full press release, after the break.
Amazon will give you $5 if you use its Price Check app this weekend
No joke, it really will. All you have to do is walk into a retailer this Saturday, whip out your smartphone and use Amazon's Price Check app to collect price data on in-store items. In exchange, the company will offer you a discount of five percent (or up to $5) on "select items" in electronics, toys, music, and other product divisions, though you'll only be able to use it a maximum of three times. The campaign represents Amazon's latest attempt to creep into the brick and mortar sector on the back of barcode scanning technology, and seems like a pretty clever way to bolster its mobile presence, while gathering intel on its competitors' prices, as well. It all kicks off at 9 PM (PST) on Friday, and will draw to a close just before midnight on Saturday. Hit up the source link for more details.
