IntoMobile

SpareOne phone lasts 15 years on a single AA battery

2012-05-16T20:51:37Z

Featured at CES 2012, the SpareOne has officially hit the market as a simple mobile phone that can last for 15 years — yes you read that right — on a single charge.

No, unfortunately the SpareOne is not a smartphone, and in fact it can’t even really be considered a feature phone. All you can do with it is make and receive phone calls. It’s being marketed as a perfect phone to use for emergencies only. SpareOne owners can make emergency calls with or without a SIM card installed. The 15-year shelf life means you shouldn’t ever have to worry about low battery life in the case of an emergency. It has 10-hour talk time which is a significant drop from 15 years, but again if you only use this for emergencies, the talk time is more than adequate.

The phone’s design is as bare-bones as it gets for a cell phone. There’s no display at all, a large contribution to the long battery life. It looks somewhat like a remote. The volume button is on the left, torch light control on the right, buttons to accept or deny calls, standard number keys, power button, and lock/unlock button.

The designer, Alan Cymberknoh, has his own purpose for the device. When his iPhone dies every evening before he’s able to charge it, he starts accepting calls on the SpareOne. “I have pre-set my important numbers on it — home, office, family — so when people call me, I pick up on my SpareOne.” It seems that while using it for emergencies is one good use, the possibilities are limitless.

[via Mashable]

SpareOne phone lasts 15 years on a single AA battery originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T20:51:37Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Deals of the Day – May 16: HTC One S (T-Mobile) $150

2012-05-16T19:52:22Z

Today, our deal partner, LogicBUY, has told us that the HTC One S through T-Mobile can be had on contract for only $150. The One S is T-Mobile’s version of the HTC One X. Although they are similar, there are some significant differences in the two, which you can learn about here. Check out our full review of the HTC One S and see if this phone is the One for you!

Mobile Phones

HTC One S (T-Mobile) w/Free Activation for $150 with free shipping (normally $199.99)

Droid RAZR 4G LTE (Verizon) w/Double Data for $.01 with free shipping (normally $199.99)

Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3″ Smartphone (AT&T) for $199.99 with free shipping (normally $249.99)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Unlocked for $400 with free shipping (normally $500)

Tablets

Wacom Bamboo Capture Pen Tablet for $79.99 with free shipping (normally $100 – use coupon on LogicBuy)

Laptops

15.6″ Dell Latitude E5520 Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz Dual-core Business Laptop w/Free $100 Gift Card for $669 with free shipping (normally $1,219 – use coupon code on LogicBuy)

Personal Portables

Bose OE2 Audio Headphones for $135 with free shipping (normally $150)

Sony MDR-XB500 Extra Bass Headphones for $62 with free shipping (normally $77.99 – use coupon code on LogicBuy)

Deals of the Day – May 16: HTC One S (T-Mobile) $150 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T19:52:22Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Worldwide mobile phone sales down 2% in Q1 2012

2012-05-16T18:35:31Z

It looks like people are starting to hold back from purchasing the latest phone to hit the market. Gartner today dropped some figures that detail the worldwide sales of mobile phones were down by 2 percent this quarter. This is the first time the market has declined since the second quarter of 2009.

The way Gartner breaks down most of its findings is from calculating the slowing demand in Asia-Pacific region, due to a lack of compelling new devices during the quarter in review. Folks are simply being patient, keeping their money in their pockets in anticipation for the next best handset.

When it comes to sales, Samsung is gaining ground, capturing 20.7 percent of all mobile sales worldwide, and it’s the top dog Android vendor with 10 percent market share. Wait, that’s not it for Sammy, the Korean based manufacturer also passed Nokia for first place in mobile sales with 20.7 percent.

In the end, we’re living in an Apple and Samsung world when it pertains to two venders cleaning up in the top 10 mobile rankings to have gained market share, while everyone else dipped (pictured in the list below). According to Gartner, smartphone sales accounted for just over one-quarter of all mobile sales: they stood at 144.4 million units, out of total mobile sales of 428 million units.

That said, it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung’s latest flagship device, the Galaxy S III will make any more separation before the next iPhone is launched.

[via TC]

Worldwide mobile phone sales down 2% in Q1 2012 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T18:35:31Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Verizon to kill unlimited data plans for all

2012-05-16T18:19:56Z

I can’t say it’s surprising but it looks like Verizon Wireless will be killing its unlimited data plan option – even for grandfathered customers – in favor of a data-shared plan, according to comments Verizon executives said.

Verizon had already killed off unlimited data plans last year for tiered data or “usage-based model” but those still on the old $30-a-month plan could keep their unlimited data. This even applied if you were upgrading your 3G phone to a 4G LTE device.

It appears like those on the grandfathered plans will be forced to switch to a new plan. The details of these are not currently available.

“Everyone will be on data share,” Verizon CFO Shammo said during a conference, according to Fierce Wireless. “When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial to us.”

I say it’s not surprising because we know that the major carriers don’t want to give us unlimited data despite the fact that they’re in a battle to proclaim who has the fastest data network. AT&T recently said that it regrets offering the first iPhone with unlimited data because it opened up the floodgates.

There are legitimate spectrum issues for the carriers but it’s going to be tough to walk this line back. I think mobile innovation is threatened when users have to count every megabyte or choose between downloading an app or browsing the web.

Oh well, I guess you can just go to Sprint … for now.

[Via CNET]

Verizon to kill unlimited data plans for all originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T18:19:56Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

HTC Sensation, Amaze 4G get Android 4.0 update

2012-05-16T16:53:51Z

Good news if you’ve got an Amaze 4G or an HTC Sensation, you can now go and download Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Interestingly enough, these phones don’t appear to be getting the Sense 4 that debuted on the One X. Instead, the documentation says that the Amaze 4G and the Sensation will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 3.6.

You can look forward to some standard ICS features like Face Unlock, re-sizeable widgets, data usage controls, improved battery life and more. This update also means you’ll be able to download cool apps like Chrome for Android, which needs Android 4.0 to run.

You’ll be able to do a system update check in your settings and you can also try to get a manual update. For Android 4.0 update information on the Sensation, go here and the Amaze 4G information can be found here.

HTC Sensation, Amaze 4G get Android 4.0 update originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T16:53:51Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Sprint EVO 4G LTE Review

2012-05-16T16:28:23Z

The HTC EVO 4G LTE is coming to Sprint and it brings the much-vaunted One Series to the Now Network. In this review, we’ll see how good this LTE-enabled phone really is.

Sprint EVO 4G LTE Review originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T16:28:23Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

China Mobile confirms it’s talking with Apple about the iPhone

2012-05-16T14:00:09Z

China Mobile is in talks with Apple to carry the iPhone, according to a report from Bloomberg. No agreement has yet been reached between the two companies, and China Mobile can’t predict whether the companies will be able to come to agreement in 2012, making it likely the company would start carrying the next iPhone either later this year or in early 2013.

Getting the iPhone on China Mobile will be a big deal for Apple; the Chinese carrier is the largest in the world with just about 2/3 of a billion customers (667.2 million, as of March 31st) tied to the network. If Apple were able to garner a significant number of these customers, they could pull more even with Google’s Android in terms of worldwide market share. There is obviously a market to be had in China, as people are going to great lengths to smuggle iPhones and iPads into the country.

China Mobile is in a similar situation as T-Mobile USA, with 3G bands that are incompatible with Apple’s latest iPhone. As they build out a fourth-generation network, they hope they can secure the iPhone and offer the world’s most popular smartphone to the masses. The company is testing 4G networks in select markets in 2012, and if successful will ramp into heavy rollout mode in 2013.

We’ll be sure to bring you the news as we learn more about a potential relationship between Apple and China Mobile.

[via Bloomberg, All Things D]

China Mobile confirms it’s talking with Apple about the iPhone originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T13:58:39Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

The iPhone as an eNose used to sniff out disease

2012-05-16T13:58:35Z

In just a short time, smartphones will undoubtedly change the way we interact with the world, even moreso than they already have. One of the biggest potential impacts of this trend is on the medical industry, as more and more doctors and nurses are turning to phones and tablets from Apple and Android to help patients better understand what is happening to their bodies while ill. My wife is a budding occupational therapist (graduating this weekend, in fact), and the two of us are working on a project to find or create the best iOS/Android applications therapists can use to assist them in treating patients, or that patients can use to better keep track of their illnesses. We’ve learned that there are tons of cool and useful programs out there, but these represent only the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come.

The Technology Review have discovered a research team at the California Institute of Technology that would significantly change the way iPhones and iPads are used in treating patients. Many common sicknesses have a unique chemical vapor profile, and the team is developing an eNose that can literally smell out sickness by identifying the vapors a patient is emitting. One of the team members believes that in the near future the technology will be small and affordable enough that a health care provider can carry it around as an attachment to a smartphone to perform instant diagnosis on patients.

The technology would eliminate the need for a medical lab in some cases, as several illnesses have distinct chemical profiles that are easily identifiable by smell. Of course, some illnesses aren’t as easily identified by smell, and these illnesses would still require the customary lab profiles we’ve come to expect. Still, some of the most common illnesses can be identified in such a manner, as evidenced by a study in India that successfully identified tuberculosis from a urine sample, predicting the disease’s presence with nearly 99% accuracy.

“The researchers collected urine samples from more than 100 newly diagnosed TB patients in New Delhi. They analyzed molecules from the urine that evaporate quickly in the air, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, which give a detailed readout of chemical components and their concentrations. Using this method to hunt for patterns, they identified several VOCs that occurred in significantly different concentrations in infected individuals. Using this signature, they were able to predict TB infection in another group of patients with nearly 99 percent accuracy.”

While we likely won’t see these types of devices in smartphones in the near future (perhaps not even this decade), the breakthroughs in medical technology researchers are currently coming up with will greatly change the way we consume and interact with health care in the not-too-distant future. I, for one, am excited to see where this trend of eMedicine takes us.

[via Technology Review; Image from Wired]

The iPhone as an eNose used to sniff out disease originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T13:58:35Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Sonic 4: Episode II lands with 720p thanks to Tegra 3

2012-05-16T00:20:38Z

Everyone’s favorite hedgehog is back on Android with Sonic 4: Episode II and the speed demon has been optimized for the quad-core Tegra 3 chipset including HD gameplay.

We’d previously heard that Sonic would be able to collect rings with the Tegra 3 chip and now that it’s available, it’s easy to say that it provides a nice experience. It’s just so vibrant and alive and that’s key for a speed-based game like this one. Even without the 720p, it looks pretty good on other Android devices.

Check out this before and after shot NVIDIA provided (click through for more detail):

As we’re starting to see more often with games on Android, be prepared for a hefty download after you get it from the Play Store but it’s worth the wait. You can pick up Sonic 4: Episode II for $6.99 from the Play Store and it will be featured in the TegraZone. Check out the video below of the 720p game in action and let us know what you think in the comments or on Twitter @IntoMobile.

Sonic 4: Episode II lands with 720p thanks to Tegra 3 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T13:00:57Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Panasonic launches Eluga V, Eluga Power smartphones and Eluga Live tablet in Japan

2012-05-16T12:54:09Z

As part of its new collection of devices, NTT DoCoMo added three Panasonic devices, two smartphones and one tablet. We already know pretty much everything about the Eluga Power, but we haven’t heard of Eluga V and Eluga Live tablet before.

The first of the two is an Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with a 4.6-inch screen, which place it somewhere between the original Eluga and Eluga Power. Rest of the specs include a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and so on.

As for the Eluga Live tablet, it will come with a 10.1-inch screen, stereo speakers and DLNA streaming capability…

We’ve no idea whether these two will ever leave the shores of Japan and can only hope something like that is included in Panasonic’s strategy. We’ll see…

[Via: Engadget]

Panasonic launches Eluga V, Eluga Power smartphones and Eluga Live tablet in Japan originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-05-16T12:54:09Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j