AfterDawn: Tech news

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AfterDawn: News

AT&T GoPhone adds LTE, HSPA+ and iPhone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 11:16

AT&T GoPhone adds LTE, HSPA+ and iPhone AT&T has updated their GoPhone prepaid wireless brand significantly this week, adding support for the company's LTE and HSPA+ data networks.

Additionally, the company has now officially added support for the iPhone.

Until this week, GoPhone had allowed iPhone users to sign up, but they could not access 3G data. The new update allows for full access to LTE data and Visual Voicemail. GoPhone will support three separate plans for the iPhone, although only the $65 plan is the only one that makes sense. Customers get unlimited calls and texts and 1GB of data.

If you already owned an iPhone, the update goes live June 21st unless you call in and ask to be updated beforehand.




AfterDawn: News

DxO Labs: Galaxy S4 camera outperforms rivals

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 10:30

DxO Labs: Galaxy S4 camera outperforms rivals French camera optics and image sensor analysis firm DxO Labs has reported on the top smartphones of their respective operating systems, finding the Galaxy S4 to outperform its rivals.

Although it did not beat Nokia's 40MP 808 PureView device, the S4 did beat out the Lumia 920 and the iPhone 5 in overall score.

The firm was impressed by the 13MP camera of the S4, and its "fast and accurate autofocus, good auto-exposure, rich colors in different lighting conditions and impressive detail preservation in bright light."

For photos, the device scored a 79 out of 100, ahead of the iPhone 5 at 74/100 and the Lumia 920 at 64 points. On the video end, the iPhone topped the list at 70/100 with the S4 at 68. Taking the score down was "image stabilization performance was poor in low light and autofocus" underperformed, as well.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung confirms Galaxy S4 Mini

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 10:05

Samsung confirms Galaxy S4 Mini Samsung has inadvertently confirmed the existence of the Galaxy S4 Mini via their own Samsung Apps website.

The S4 Mini, true to its name, has a smaller 4.3-inch sAMOLED display with qHD resolution (540×960, 256 ppi) compared to the new S4's 4-inch 1080p display.

Under the hood is a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, LTE radio, 32GB internal storage, 1.5MP/8MP cameras, a 2100 mAh battery and the whole device runs on Android 4.2.x.

Samsung has included their TouchWiz UX interface and their premium suite of apps.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Sony bribes Minecraft creator with golden PSone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 11:00

Sony bribes Minecraft creator with golden PSone Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson took to Twitter to show off his VIP invite to Sony's upcoming E3 presser.

Notch received a golden PSone console along with a copy of Dungeon Master 2 and the invite to the company's PS4 event.

The developer has been a critic of Microsoft's recent moves, saying he was unexcited by the new Xbox One adding that he "wanted a game console, not a voice and gesture based TV remote box."

Minecraft, which was never released for the PS3, has sold over 6 million copies on the Xbox 360, a record.

As Notch says, Sony "sure knows how to bribe nerds. ;D"





AfterDawn: News

Samsung to hold June 20th unveil event for Android, Windows devices

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 10:42

Samsung to hold June 20th unveil event for Android, Windows devices Samsung has sent out press invites for a new event it will be holding in June.

The event, to take place in London, will focus on Galaxy, says the company.

Besides Android phones and tablet, Samsung will also show off Ativ devices, which include Windows Phones, Windows 8 and (possibly) Windows RT tablets and phones and convertibles.

Dubbed "Samsung Premiere 2013," the event starts at 2PM EST and the company will livestream the entire thing via YouTube, as well.

Samsung has made the event one week after Apple's annual WWDC and a week before Microsoft's annual BUILD. The month should be a busy time for tech titans.




AfterDawn: News

Yahoo to bid between $600 and $800 million for Hulu

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 May 2013 10:03

Yahoo to bid between $600 and $800 million for Hulu Last week we reported that Yahoo would be placing a bid to purchase video streaming site Hulu.

Today, ATD is reporting that the bid will be between $600-$800 million, depending on what kind of content deal terms it can get from Hulu's owners, Comcast, Disney and News Corp. (NBC, ABC and Fox on broadcast).

In the past two months, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, PE firm Silverlake, PE firm KKR, Guggenheim Digital and Peter Chernin's The Chernin Group have all expressed interest if not already placed bids for the video site.

The site is currently jointly owned by News Corp., Disney and Comcast (without any management authority) and it is clear that they will not accept under $1 billion as a straight bid, meaning Yahoo's offer seems low.




AfterDawn: News

Dish Network and nTelos to develop broadband service

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2013 12:40

Dish Network and nTelos to develop broadband service Major satellite provider Dish Network and small regional carrier nTelos Holdings have announced they are building a broadband service within nTelos' coverage area on the east coast of the U.S.

The carrier is available in Virginia, Maryland and parts of other states.

Dish has been actively trying to diversify past its pay TV roots, and recently made a massive bid for Sprint Nextel. nTelos covers mainly rural customers, and would provide them with faster Internet for the first time.

"We are pleased to team with nTelos on this exciting opportunity to leverage their mobile capabilities along with our technical service infrastructure to develop broadband services," Charlie Ergen, chairman and co-founder of Dish said.




AfterDawn: News

Nokia files additional patent cases against HTC

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2013 12:12

Nokia files additional patent cases against HTC Nokia has filed additional patent cases against HTC in their ongoing legal spat.

The new actions include a second complaint to the U.S. ITC and a new federal suit in California.

"We began actions against HTC in 2012 to end the unauthorized use of our proprietary innovations and technologies," Nokia said. "Since then, despite the German courts confirming infringements of Nokia patents in HTC products, HTC has shown no intention to end its practices; instead it has tried to shift responsibility to its suppliers. We have therefore taken these further steps to hold HTC accountable for its actions."

Altogether, Nokia has claimed violations on 50 patents around the globe.

So far, HTC has had little comment: "Upon receiving the official document, HTC is to consider all legal options to protect our rights."




AfterDawn: News

Jon Stewart rips on Apple for CEO's appearance before Senate

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2013 11:33

Jon Stewart rips on Apple for CEO's appearance before Senate Earlier this week, Daily Show host Jon Stewart ran a segment ripping into Apple about CEO Tim Cook's appearance in front of the Senate.

Cook had been called in to speak about tax strategies of multinational corporations.

Stewart implied that some Senators are iPhone fanboys, overall the clip is pretty funny.

Check it here:




AfterDawn: News

Apple's alleged cheaper iPhone to begin production in July?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2013 11:13

Apple's alleged cheaper iPhone to begin production in July? According to a new report, Apple is ready to put their oft-rumored lower cost iPhone into production in July.

Supposedly, the handset will be available in a plethora of colors, just like the newer iPod Touch, including Navy, Gold-Orange, White, Gray, Pink, Green, Blue and Yellow-Orange.

Apple will build just 1000 units for a field test in June, before the mass production begins in July.

Although unconfirmed, the iPhone will be made of a shell made of polycarbonate plastic, and could cost $149 through carriers.




AfterDawn: News

Apple I computer sells for $668,000

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 May 2013 12:52

Apple I computer sells for $668,000 German auctioneer Breker has said today that an Asian client has purchased a functioning 1976 Apple I at a record price.

The anonymous buyer paid 516,000 euros (about $668,000) for the device, which was built by company founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Breker sold another of the devices last year for 492,000 euros, and there are said to be only 6 functioning models in the world.

The Apple I, which sold for $666 at the time, was only a circuit board with all "accessories" like a case, keyboard or monitor had to be purchased separately.

This week's auctioned model has Wozniak's signature and includes an old business transaction letter from Jobs.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to use Intel chip?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 May 2013 11:57

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to use Intel chip? VB has spoken to sources who have confirmed that Intel will finally get into the tablet market, for real.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 will use an Intel Atom chip (of the Clover Trail variety), rather than a rival based on ARM architecture.

News of the coup first came via benchmark testing sites that showed a "Samsung Santos 103" running on Intel and Android.

Most likely, the chip will be a 32-nanometer dual-core Atom Z2520 processor, which can be clocked as high as 1.6GHz.

Other sources believe that Samsung will be selling multiple versions of the tablet, one running Atom, the other running their own ARM-based Exynos.

Intel has long tried to get into the mobile market, but their chips, while powerful, are nowhere near as power efficient as rival chips like the Exynos or the Snapdragon Pros from Qualcomm.




AfterDawn: News

Best Buy discounting iPhones by $50 tomorrow

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 May 2013 3:41

Best Buy discounting iPhones by $50 tomorrow Best Buy will begin a month-long promotion tomorrow on its iPhone offerings.

The retailer will slash prices on the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 by $50 with two-year contract at Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

Additionally, starting tomorrow, Best Buy is cutting the price on the Samsung Galaxy S III by $50 to $49 on AT&T and Sprint, the HTC Droid DNA to $49 (from $200) and the HTC One X to free from $100.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 5S in September.




AfterDawn: News

New Argentine rules force Google to stop accepting payment from paid apps

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 May 2013 2:03

New Argentine rules force Google to stop accepting payment from paid apps Google has confirmed that developers in Argentina will soon be receiving letters from the search giant stating that "Google Play will no longer be able to accept payments on behalf of developers registered in Argentina starting June 27, 2013."

The new move will apply to both in-app purchases on free apps and paid apps.

Argentina recently passed new restrictive regulations on currency exchanges, leading to the move. Argentine developers have taken to Twitter and other outlets to complaint about the changes, but there is really not too much to be done at the time.

Final payments will be made on July 22nd, and apps will be pulled on the 27th. If developers want to keep their apps in the store they will have to transfer their account to another country, a convenient loophole to get around the restrictions.




AfterDawn: News

Report: Samsug providing displays for consumer Google Glass

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 May 2013 12:34

Report: Samsug providing displays for consumer Google Glass According to a new report, Google will be using Samsung as its OLED display component supplier for the Google Glass AR devices.

The glasses, which are currently available only to early adopters, will be made available as consumer devices early next year.

In the report, the sources claim the news is "a really big thing because it means that Google shares confidential information with Samsung on its future projects."

Google and Samsung have long been serious partners, but there have been murmurs that Google is none too happy about Samsung's recent "hi-jacking" of Android for its Galaxy lines. It's true, as many now see Galaxy devices as synonymous with Android itself.





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