DROID Bionic Update 5.9.905 Passes With Flying Colors, On Its Way To The Masses

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For those of you literally scouring the web for any and every bit of DROID Bionic news you can find, here’s a big tidbit for you.  With the previous soak tests now complete, update 5.9.905 is well underway to a DROID Bionic near you.  You should be receiving the update via OTA shortly so keep checking.  Compared to other updates, it’s a rather small one however, it will address a number of bugs such as the LTE data issues most have been experiencing.  Remember, to check for an update go to Settings–>About phone–>System updates.  Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the update in the comments below.

source: Droid Life

 

 

 

ICS Test Build Revealed For Droid Bionic, Real Deal On Its Way?

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For those of you who actually shelled out for a Droid Bionic, which was a little late to the game after its original announcement, you’ll be happy to know that some signs of an ICS build have surfaced.  Over the weekend it was reported that an ICS test build made its way onto the Cheesecake application which searches Motorola hosted servers for public files often revealing early builds for their devices.  Only armed with the knowledge that the device was supposed to recive ICS sometime in Q3, there have been no previous news or hints at the anticipated update.  As of now, the build is un-flashable as it’s just an engineer’s build.  But, this could be a hint and a sign of great things to come for Bionic owners.  Hang in there folks and stay tuned.  Otherwise, you’ll have to download a custom ICS ROM until the real deal gets here.

source: XDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprint Adds Music, Books And Movies To Carrier Billing Option

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If you’re on Sprint and you’ve been feeling left out as far as having the option to use carrier billing when purchasing Play Store items other than apps, welcome to the circle.  Sprint is now offering you the ability to use carrier billing instead of entering in your credit card information, adding music, books and even movies to the mix.  Just another easy way for the consumer to pay for rich media content.  We’ll take it.  If you’re a Sprint customer, enjoy.  Feel free to let us know if you prefer carrier billing over standard methods of payment for your Play Store entertainment.

source: Google+

 

AT&T’s HTC One X Out Of Stock Online For The Time Being

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Well, what did you expect would happen with one of the most popular devices of all time?  The HTC One X is officially “Out of stock” over on AT&T’s website for the time being and that goes for both colors.  No word yet on how long that will be for or if there is a fresh shipment on its way, but we’re confident there is.  For now, you’ll have to do things the old fashioned way by heading into your local AT&T outlet and purchasing it face to face with a sales rep.  Don’t be afraid, you can do it :) If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out our initial hands-on and our in depth review of the device and let us know what you think in the comments below.

source: AT&T 1,2

AT&T Points The Finger At Google When Asked About Timely Android Updates

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When AT&T was asked why the carrier took so long to respond to Android updates on their smartphones, CEO Randall Stephenson responded with “Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when. A lot of times, that’s a negotiated arrangement and that’s something we work at hard.”  This seems to imply that Google had the bigger hand as far as when a current update is pushed to devices.  Naturally, this caused the search giant to be somewhat confused.  And while we could naturally see why an update might take some time to reach carrier devices with different technologies, skins and other variables, we’re thinking AT&T is  just looking to pass the buck here.  With expected confusion, Google’s spokesperson responded with the following:

“frankly we don’t understand what he is referring to”

So, it doesn’t appear that the answer was ultimately answered here but rather deflected and passed on to Google’s court.  We’ll see if someone from AT&T’s camp can clear the matter up for us and get the ball rolling on some of these devices still running Froyo.

source: Pocket Now

 

Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S III Revealed To Also Sport A Dual-Core Processor And 16GB Of Storage

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News of various US variants of the Galaxy S III continue to trickle down the pipeline as we’ve now gathered news regarding Sprint’s version of the GSIII.  The folks over at Pocket Now managed to get their hands on the device’s user agent profile and discovered that along with LTE radios there will also be a Qualcomm dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 on-board.  And while we were all hoping for the quad-core Exynos 4 SoC, this will have to do I suppose.  The profile also revealed the device will hold the initial 16GB of storage which is the lowest available on the device, as there will be a 32GB and even a 64GB variant (via SD slot for Sprint’s model.  And lastly, as expected, the device will run Android 4.0.4 ICS upon launch date.  So, as far as Sprint customers go, the hardest choice to make will be, does one wait for the iPhone 5 or do you snatch the GSIII up and remain married to it for the next two years?  Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.

source: PocketNow

Virgin Mobile Announces HTC Evo V 4G For May 31st At $299.99

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Before you run off thinking this is a re-branded HTC One X or HTC Evo 4G LTE, hold your horses, it’s not.  The device is more of an Evo 3D with some slight modifications to accommodate Virgin’s network.  This will be marked as Virgin Mobile’s first “4G” device to hit the carrier.  The company is offering a $35 plan with unlimited data and 300 minutes of talk time.  The hardware offers a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, a 3D camera on the backside, a 1.3 mp front facing camera, a 5 meg camera on the backside as a point-and-shoot, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.  So what’s going to make this device stand out from the rest? Consider the fact that the device will launch with ICS 4.0 on-board and that just might be enough for some people.  However, note that it will not house the latest version of Sense UI, 4.0 as seen on the One family of devices but rather 3.6.  If you’re on Virgin’s network and have been wanting a “big boy” phone for some time, this might be as close as you’re going to get to one for now.  The device is slated for a May 31st launch and will go for $299.99 on contract. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.

source: Virgin Mobile

 

Verizon To Begin Rolling Out HomeFusion Residential 4G LTE This Week

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Since last March or so Verizon has been testing out their new HomeFusion Broadband network and now the carrier says it’s ready to deploy nationwide.  The service should be rolling out wherever LTE service is currently available which Big Red says is 230 markets.  For those deeming it reasonable to upgrade, they can sign up for the new service at any Verizon Wireless store and they’ll soon receive an antenna professionally installed in their home.  Reported speeds were estimated to be 5-12 Mbps down and 2-5 Mbps on the up-link.  Whether or not it sounds like something worth upgrading to is going to be up to the consumer.  Why?  The service begins at $60 per month giving you 10GB’s of data or $120/mo for 30GB’s.  As usual, there is a $10 per 1GB overage charge for either tier.  In addition, the hardware installation will run you a one time $199.99 fee which supplies you with the modem and router.  As of now, it’s not making much sense to upgrade from your current cable Internet.  Furthermore, Verizon is currently offering a “double data” deal which supplies the user with 20GB’s of data for $80 per month while the HomeFusion plus hardware installation fee is significantly higher.  Only time will tell whether or not this deal kicks off or it gets quickly revamped to make more sense in Vz’s lineup of services and offerings.  What do you think?

source: Verizon

Verizon’s Motorola Droid 4, Bionic And Razr All Modified To Work On GSM Technologies

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I can recall a few years back a gentlemen running a Blackberry Storm on T-Mobile’s network and I was like ???  But those were the days when global phones on Verizon’s network wasn’t as widespread as they are today.  I quickly learned that the device was a global device and could be used to roam on GSM networks (dual-sim slot) outside of the U.S.  Devices like that were important for businessmen and woman requiring a smartphone that could operate nearly everywhere they traveled.  Well, global devices are becoming more of the norm on Verizon’s network and so it’s no surprise anymore to see a Verizon branded “Droid” on a GSM carrier like T-Mobile or AT&T.  So what do you need to make it work?  For starters, you’ll need a Motorola Droid 4, Bionic or Razr on Verizon and a few top notch guys from everyone’s famous and favorite site, XDA Developers.  Because these devices support global GSM bands, a little bit of tinkering and few modifications, one can be all set to run on the GSM carrier of their choice.  This is in part due to the fact that the device’s MDM6600 radio is compatible with AT&T’s HSPA technology and T-Mobile’s Edge network.  User P3Droid even posted pics over on his Twitter page for proof (pics above and below).  And while this might not be Verizon’s first choice as a means of using hardware ultimately designed to work on their network, tough stuff Vz, this is how Android users do it.  The dev’s have been presented with some challenges due to the locked bootloaders issue, but you know XDA, they always come through.

source: XDA

Huawei Ascend G312 (U8680) Arrives At FCC’s Door Step, Reveals T-Mobile MyTouch Branding

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T-Mobile is bent on keeping their MyTouch branding alive and well and there’s no secret that the company has been in cahoots with Huawei to become the hardware manufacturer of the next gen device.  That being said, a device strongly resembling the Ascend G312 has reared its little frame over at the FCC revealing the MyTouch moniker and dubbed the “U8680″.  Could this be the next qwerty variant of the MyTouch line?  The FCC docs and pics reveal that there is compatibility with HSPA, UMTS, EDGE and GPRS technologies.    We know the device Huawei plans to release is a 4-inch WVGA res’d device which will have ICS 4.0 on board.  There will also be a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255T SoC and 1GB or RAM running on the device.  For now, we’ll just have to speculate until an official announcement is made by Magenta.  Feel free to hit up the source link below for more FCC goodies.

source: FCC