Zachary Lutz
Articles by Zachary Lutz
Refresh Roundup: week of February 25th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
LG announces 10 million LTE smartphones sold worldwide
It's been roughly two years since LG began its role in the LTE Revolution, but the company has just crossed an important milestone in its pursuit. Today, LG revealed that it's now sold 10 million LTE smartphones, which is double the number we last saw in August. Despite the lengthy amount of time it's taken LG to achieve this 10 million figure, the news comes at an interesting juncture, as the company's now ramping up distribution of its halo device, the Optimus G. Similarly, both the Optimus F7 and F5 are due later this year, which will be aimed at those seeking 4G on a budget. Will we see an uptick in LG's sales of LTE smartphones? We certainly hope so, but our Magic 8-Ball's currently broken. That said, you'll find the full announcement after the break.
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 25th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought news of a new direction for Muve Music, the arrival of a budget smartphone at Sprint and a whole lotta LTE expansion. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 25th, 2013.
Pandora establishes 40-hour mobile listening cap for free users
Remember the good ol' days of Pandora? Well, it turns out that you were living in it until today. Just this afternoon, the music streaming service revealed that it's become necessary to return to the 40 hour caps from times long ago -- only this time around, it applies only to mobile users. If you may recall, Pandora dropped these caps in September 2011, but steeper royalty costs have forced the company's hand in the matter. What does this mean for you? Well, unless you fit within the four percent of Pandora listeners that jam out on a mobile device for more than 40 hours per month, you're unlikely to ever notice the change. Meanwhile, heavy users will need to pay $0.99 to continue listening for the remainder of the month. Naturally, you can also lay down $3.99 per month (or $36 per year) for Pandora One, which will kick both those limits and pesky ads to the curb.
PayPal co-founder Max Levchin returns to online payments with Affirm
Curious what Max Levchin's been up to ever since he left Google in 2011? Well, wonder no more. Today, PayPal's co-founder revealed his return to the payment world with a new company called Affirm. Like many startups, Affirm is looking to make online payments quicker and easier, but the real question is whether you'll be willing to come along for the ride. AllThingsD managed to catch Levchin for an interview, in which he revealed that Affirm will issue credit to consumers and guarantee payment to merchants for all online transactions. Curiously, Affirm will use Facebook to verify a user's identity, and it'll also use a wide range of social and location-based data to determine an individual's credit worthiness. The payment startup will launch in beta with 1-800-Flowers as its partner, and it's said that consumers will be given 30 days to settle the resulting bill with Affirm. There's no word of what fees or interest rates will be assessed for late payments, but we imagine you'll find strong incentive to pay for that flower arrangement.
LG demos Optimus G TD-LTE prototype, promises LTE lineup for China Mobile
Today at Mobile World Congress, LG demoed a modified Optimus G that supports China Mobile's forthcoming TD-LTE network, but just as weighty as the demonstration, the manufacturer also revealed that it'll provide a full line of TD-LTE devices for the world's largest mobile operator. While LG wasn't able to nail down a specific date, it's currently shooting for the second half of this year in order to compliment China Mobile's TD-LTE rollout. Along with the Optimus G, it seems a safe bet that the two companies will be evaluating new smartphones such as the Optimus F7 and F5, along with the Optimus L7II and L5II as candidates to make the leap into the world of TD-LTE. Inquiring minds will find the full presser after the break.
Cablevision files antitrust suit against Viacom over programming bundling
Fan of channels such as CMT, VH1 Classic and Teen Nick? Cablevision is assuming that's a negatory. Today, the cable provider filed a federal antitrust suit against Viacom over the content distributor's programming bundling practices, which are alleged as anti-competitive. The lawsuit revolves around Viacom's insistence that ancillary networks be included in programming agreements in order to gain distribution rights to more popular networks such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. While the complaint itself remains under seal, Cablevision is arguing abuse of power in the lawsuit, which if successful, could have rippling effects throughout the pay-TV industry. Cablevision is seeking declaratory relief that would void the two companies' programming contract (inked just this past December), along with a permanent injunction against Viacom's practice and the ability to carry Viacom programming until a new contract can be negotiated. Meanwhile, Viacom has asserted that it'll vigorously defend the lawsuit, and maintains that its practice is "win-win and pro-consumer" in the sense that its niche networks are offered at discounts. It seems that we can look forward to both companies butting heads for a while to come.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 18th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 18th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought confirmation of Pantech's next phone for Verizon, legal battles over the airwaves in India and a new smartphone to Virgin Mobile. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 18th, 2013.
Mystery Nokia Lumia appears with Verizon bands at FCC
Can you smell it? Smartphone season is in the air. Along with recent leaks for the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, another handset from Nokia was just tipped -- this time at the FCC. The phone in question is known only as the RM-860, but with support for LTE bands 4 and 13, it carries the telltale marks as a Verizon smartphone. As you may recall, Nokia revealed earlier this year that it aims to bring high-end, mid-range and low-end Lumia smartphones to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Given the relatively blah Lumia 822 that's already at Big Red, could this be a sign that Verizon is set to gain its own iteration of the Lumia 920? Or, might it be that the carrier is aiming for lower hanging fruit?
Google reportedly in negotiations with music labels to launch streaming service
Surprise, surprise: Apple isn't the only company that's rumored to be developing a music streaming service. According to Financial Times, Google is working to augment its current download store with a streaming service that could take on the likes of Spotify, Slacker and Nokia Music. The outlet's sources suggest that Google is currently in the negotiation stage with record labels, and that its service would likely feature both paid and free, ad-supported components. Naturally, while this news remains in the realm of rumors for both Apple and Google, it seems that the race is now on for which company is both willing and able to supplement its music store with a streaming service. Anyone care to place bets on which company is first to the starting line?
Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 press shots revealed
See that group of phones just sitting around, pretending not to have a care in the world? Turns out, this is the new Lumia 720, which is now greeting the world for the first time in a leaked press photo. If you'll recall, this device, along with the Lumia 520 (shown after the break), was recently leaked for arrival within Indonesia. While we've yet to learn of other markets or concrete specs for the pair of smartphones, it just became a bit more likely that we'll see the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 formally greet the world in just a matter of days. Game on, Nokia.
ASUS Transformer Book Windows 8 hybrid goes up for pre-order
Despite being announced long before the budget-minded VivoTab Smart, ASUS' higher-end Windows 8 laptop / tablet hybrid known as the Transformer Book has yet to make its way to store shelves -- or receive official pricing, for that matter. Nonetheless, those intent on throwing one of the machines into their satchel can snag the Transformer Book on pre-order, which is available through MacMall for $1,479.99. The 13.3-inch system sports a 1,920 x 1,080 display, and in this particular configuration, you'll fetch a dual-core 1.9GHz Core i7-3517U CPU with Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive that's augmented by a 128GB SSD. This price includes the keyboard dock, but it's worth reiterating that you might pay more than necessary to snag the system on pre-order. If you're on the fence, be sure to revisit our hands-on from last summer's Computex.
Chrome browser gains Web Speech API support in latest stable build
Good news, everyone: a safer and more robust version of Google Chrome has just been tipped for the masses. Like we've previously seen in the beta release, the stable version of Chrome 25 brings support for the Web Speech API. With this update, you'll find the ability to create dictations and issue voice commands within any web app that taps into the feature. Also of significance, silent extension installs are now a thing of the past for Windows users in Chrome 25. While you'll now need to consent to each add-on before it's installed, we're sure you'll agree that the added security is worth the extra trouble. As you've come to expect, the update to Google Chrome will be rolled out to users via the browser's auto-update feature, which means it won't be long before you have a shiny new version number.
HP Q1 2013 earnings: $1.2 billion in profit on revenue of $28.4 billion
HP's stock is climbing in after hours trading from news of the company's quarterly financial results. The Palo Alto firm has posted a profit of $1.2 billion for the first quarter, which is based on revenues of $28.4 billion. While the results fared better than HP's previous expectations, both profit and revenue have fallen year-over-year for the Silicon Valley mainstay, down 16 percent and six percent, respectively. With respect to the company's divisions, personal systems, printing, enterprise, services and software have each taken a hit from the previous year, with HP's financial services segment being the only unit to show growth (despite the fact that financing volume is also down). Beyond the sagging numbers, Meg Whitman is offering reason for optimism to investors, saying the company will bring "a number of new programs and disruptive innovations to market in the coming quarters, and we expect the benefits from our restructuring will accelerate through fiscal 2013." For the complete breakdown of HP's financial health, just hit up the source link.
LG Optimus F5 and F7 smartphones now official with LTE and Jelly Bean
Based on this morning's leak, you already knew that LG's smartphone lineup was about to become more diversified, but now we're able to share concrete details of the Optimus F5 and F7, which will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress. As the naming scheme suggests, the Optimus F7 is the larger of the two with a 4.7-inch (312ppi) True HD IPS display, a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, an 8-megapixel primary camera, 2GB RAM and a 2,540mAh battery. Meanwhile, the Optimus F5 will be targeted at those who prefer a more compact smartphone, as it wields a 4.3-inch (256ppi) IPS display, a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, a 5-megapixel primary camera, 1GB RAM and a 2,150mAh battery. Common among both devices are Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), support for LG's QSlide and Live Zooming software features, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter, 8GB built-in storage, microSD support and LTE connectivity. The Optimus F5 will come to market first in Europe during the second quarter, which is to be followed by the Optimus F7 "in select markets." Sadly, pricing has yet to be announced for either smartphone. For those curious, we've included the complete list of known specs after the break.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 11th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 11th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought new smartphones from Alcatel, Samsung and Xolo, along with a sneak preview of the BlackBerry Travel app. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 11th, 2013.
Gracenote unleashes its vast musical know-how to developers
You've probably used Gracenote thousands of times and have been none the wiser, but for good reason: the musical metadata service lives in the background of several apps, appearing only momentarily to bring meaning to your favorite tunes. Now, Gracenote is looking to expand its reach by opening its APIs and SDKs to app developers -- effectively putting its massive database in the hands of all who seek it. Of course, ripping CDs isn't quite what it once was, and that's why Gracenote has also opened its MusicID song recognition service to developers, allowing them to harness the same functionality of apps such as Shazam and SoundHound. The free service is available now, and for extra insight, you'll find the full PR after the break.
Meridian Explorer combines headphone amp, portable DAC and $299 price tag
Feel that? If you're an audio purist, the sensation of your wallet tingling is probably a familiar experience. This time, you have Meridian to thank, which is aiming to help you get the most from your nice headphones. The company just debuted the Explorer: a portable, USB-powered DAC and headphone amplifier that's priced at $299. Like all external DACs, the unit promises better sound quality than typical onboard solutions can deliver, and as a high-end touch, the Explorer offers asynchronous USB audio for greater timing precision and reduced jitter. Alongside the 3.5mm amplified headphone output, you'll also find another 3.5mm jack that supports both analog and mini Toslink connections. Each Explorer is built in the UK and measures approximately 4.0 x 1.25 x 0.7 inches. Perhaps most importantly, though, its design doesn't reek of something that was cobbled together in the garage.