Latest Gear Live Videos
Sprint readies FM Radio and Entertain Me packages for Android and Windows Phones
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Music,
Sprint is bringing FM radio to select Android and Windows Phone devices this year with the NextRadio tuner app. This move makes Sprint the first US carrier to herald FM radio in such fashion, and shows the amount of faith the carrier puts in a format some might say is already dead.
Sprint also revealed an application bundle for the Sprint Zone on Android dubbed "Entertain Me." The bundle will feature Sprint TV and Movies, Sprint Music Plus, Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam, and Rumpus.
Advertisement
iPhone set to launch on T-Mobile in “three to four months”, maybe
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Rumors,
T-Mobile's John Legere revealed to Reuters that his network's iPhone launch will happen within the next "three to four months" rather than the next "six to nine." This estimated time frame, while not the most accurate, coincides well with T-Mobile's LTE rollout and network reframing.
"If the old industry structure chooses to ignore what we do," said Leger, "that's a potential."
Read More 
| Reuters
Google plans fix for Google Maps in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Google, Internet, Microsoft, Software,
Maps for Windows Phone users is about to get a little better. According to Google, it is planning on fixing the issue preventing Windows Phone users from reaching the Google Maps website through Internet Explorer. The search giant had this to say:
"We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users. In our last test, IE mobile still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality. As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users. Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users."
Google had previously stated that the outage was because its mobile Maps site wasn't designed with IE in mind.
Ubuntu coming to smartphones in 2014
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Smartphones, Software,
Canonical, makers of the open source Linux Ubuntu desktop OS, is in the process of turning Ubuntu into a mobile operating system and has sets its sights on a 2014 launch. The OS boasts an intuitive take on the lock screen, and uses gestures for navigating through the device. However, will this be enough to take on the juggernauts that iOS and Android have become? As of now, even with the power of Microsoft behind it, Windows Phone is still catering to a niche market, and RIM is still staggering to regain its footing as it revamps the BlackBerry operating system (formally QNX, now dubbed BlackBerry 10.) Will the Open Community come through and help propel Ubuntu's mobile OS?
Click to continue reading Ubuntu coming to smartphones in 2014
Read More | Ubuntu
Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2012
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Google, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software, Videos,
We've come to the end of another year, and as we wave goodbye to 2011, we figured it was only fitting that we share the most popular stories published on Gear Live this year, as determined by our readers (we've also got the top ten most read stories regardless of publish date, as well as the ten most popular Gear Live videos of 2012!) These are the ten stories that were read the most, and when you consider that fact, it's pretty surprising to see what made the list. Let's kick it off with our most read story of the year:
iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S vs. iPhone original:
iPhone 5 certainly got a lot of attention this year, and our image gallery comparing it to previous iPhone designs served as our most popular post in all of 2012.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2012
Samsung drops European injunctions against Apple
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News,
Samsung announced its intentions to drop its injunction requests against Apple. The injunction was for "standards-essential patent infringement" in Europe.
Here's what Samsung had to say:
"Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court. In this spirit, Samsung has decided to withdraw our injunction requests against Apple on the basis of our standard essential patents pending in European courts, in the interest of protecting consumer choice."
Click to continue reading Samsung drops European injunctions against Apple
Read More | The Verge
Foxconn rumored to be manufacturing an Amazon smartphone
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
According to Taiwan Economic News, Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. has already begun manufacturing a new smartphone exclusively for Amazon.
The Amazon smartphone is rumored to launch sometime in the second or third quarter of 2013, at a price of $100-200 USD. Five million units are expected to ship in the next year.
Amazon is expected to gain ground quickly in the smartphone business, due mostly to its low cost strategy and loyal consumer base. Stay posted for more updates on Amazon's foray into the smartphone buisness.
Read More | Taiwan Economic News
Facebook encouraging employees to switch to Android
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Social Networks,
.jpg)
Facebook wants more of its employees carrying Android devices, employing vaguely propagandistic posters around its Menlo Park campus. The posters outline the growing lead Android has over iOS, projecting that lead to double by 2016. The goal is to get Facebook employees using devices that the majority of their app users use, or "Droidfooding," as the campaign is casually known.
“In the early days we gave employees iPhones primarily”, a Facebook spokesperson said to TechCrunch. This recent shift to a more Android OS orientated workplace is part of an effort to make it as simple as possible to test future Facebook For Android and Facebook Messenger apps.
“We’ve created more awareness that Android devices are available” Facebook says. "There's plenty of people here carrying around both devices, and not just engineers and not just mobile people.”
Read More | TechCrunch
Facebook 4.1 for Windows Phone 8 brings speed improvements
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft, Software,
A new update for Windows Phone 8's Facebook app doesn't bring new features, but does make the app a lot faster and more responsive. Similar to the recent Facebook app updates on Android and iOS, this one focuses on the general performance of the app, and eliminates the lag from the older version.
Windows Phone 7 devices, however, aren't capable of running the new update. UK users will assuredly find the Facebook version 4.1 update in the UK Windows Phone Marketplace, but its not quite available in all markets yet.
Read More | Windows Phone
Apple releases iOS 6.0.2, zaps Wi-Fi bug
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Software, Wireless / WiFi,
.PNG)
Just like that, Apple has released iOS 6.0.2, which looks to fix a Wi-Fi connection bug that affected some iOS devices. So, if you were one of the lucky ones with that problem, let us know if this update resolves it.
iOS 6.0.2 Software Update
This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:
- Fixes a bug that could impact Wi-Fi
Read More | Apple
