Phone Arena - Latest News

Yahoo's board agrees to $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

As expected, Yahoo's board has agreed to purchase hosting site Tumblr for $1.1 billion; the deal makes Tumblr a major part of a new plan by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to make Yahoo hip and relevant to those who are, well, hip and relevant. Despite rumors that Microsoft and Facebook were interested in Tumblr, there were no competing bids for the board to consider...

Stock Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is an adjusted T-Mobile model?

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:26:00 -0500

According to a published report, the stock Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 that was displayed this past week at Google I/O, is actually a modified T-Mobile version of the phone (SGH-M919); using FCC data for the model, and knowing that it offers AT&T and T-Mobile LTE and WCDMA connectivity, the T-Mobile variant of the phone is the only one that fits...

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Black Nokia Lumia 928 sold out at Verizon and Radio Shack

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:26:00 -0500

Nokia has done a great job drumming up demand for the Nokia Lumia 928; the recent focus on low-light photography has allowed the Finnish manufacturer to produce snappers with apertures perfectly suited to take pictures in low-light without a flash. And the optical image stabilizer on the Nokia Lumia 928 camera makes it look like a video shot with the phone attached to a remote control chopper, was using a tripod when it was not...

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Mystery Google device at the FCC could be the long-awaited sequel to the Nexus Q

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:25:00 -0500

A mystery Google media player making a visit to the FCC, could be a sequel to the Nexus Q orb; you might remember that the social media player was handed out as a freebie during last year's Google I/O, and put up for sale at the Google Play Store. But it quickly became apparent that the device was not quite ready for prime time even though it sold out in less than 24 hours with a $299 price tag...

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Stories you shouldn't have missed this week

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:31:00 -0500

In case you haven't been keeping a close eye on our news stream, then you've probably missed the news about Google I/O and all the exciting announcements that were made during the event. We now have a new music streaming service from Google and an overhauled Google+, while a gaming service and a new release of Google Maps are coming in the near future. Also, a Galaxy S4 model running stock Android will be on sale in about a month. But not all of the week's exciting news were related to Google...

Tumblr backing away from Yahoo? Microsoft and Facebook are waiting in the wings

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:02:00 -0500

With Yahoo's board meeting later today to discuss buying hosting site Tumblr for $1.1 billion, sources with knowledge of what both sides are thinking are saying that Tumblr is beginning to get "cold feet" about the acquisition; Tumblr executives are believed to be wondering whether the price is too low even though a recent funding was done at an $800 million valuation...

Verizon ships some Samsung Galaxy S4 units earlier than expected

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:11:00 -0500

You can tell the Verizon customers who have received an email from Verizon saying that their Samsung Galaxy S4 has shipped earlier than expected because those are the people with a ear-to-ear grin that nothing can remove; originally, Big Red was going to launch the new Android flagship on May 30th before the release date was moved ahead a week...

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Acer's 8.1 inch Windows 8 tablet now official

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:24:00 -0500

Earlier this month, we told you that Acer was working on an 8.1 inch Windows 8 tablet which would be the smallest screened tablet to run on Windows 8; the slate appeared on Amazon and then quickly disappeared, only to resurface a few days later when Denis Kutnikov, general director of Acer's Russian office, said that the tablet would be introduced on June 4th...

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Dust fix for Nokia Lumia 920's front-facing camera is now ready

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:48:00 -0500

You might recall that back in March, there was talk that Nokia was going to issue a sheath to help fix a problem with dust that was accumulating on the Nokia Lumia 920; more specifically, the dust was settling underneath the front-facing camera and the proximity sensor on the device. According to a reliable source who works for Nokia Care the sheath is now available...

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T-Mobile says no to Google Wallet, yes to ISIS

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:17:00 -0500

Some owners of the T-Mobile branded Samsung GALAXY Note II are getting upset at the carrier's decision to block Google Wallet; but the decision not to allow Google's mobile payment service to run on T-Mobile models has to do with the operator's inclusion as a founding member of ISIS. This is a competing mobile payment service that was put together by Verizon, AT&T and yes, T-Mobile...

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Nokia Lumia 920 stars in J-Lo music video

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:25:00 -0500

The Nokia Lumia 920 is a veteran of product placements and this year, the phone showed up on Don Cheadle's House of Lies and Arrow; other handsets have appeared in movies, like the Sony Xperia T which was featured in the latest James Bond flick. Now, the Nokia Lumia 920 has made an appearance on a music video starring Jennifer Lopez...

LTE enabled version of Samsung Galaxy S III hits T-Mobile stores?

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:48:00 -0500

Perhaps more than just a tad late, it looks as though T-Mobile stores are now receiving shipments of the LTE enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy S III; not that it wasn't expected. The carrier had said from the get go that it would be offering this model once it started rolling out its LTE pipeline. Unfortunately though, the Samsung Galaxy S III wasn't equipped like the Samsung GALAXY Note II was...

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BlackBerry market share doubles in Canada during Q1

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:32:00 -0500

Earlier Saturday, we told you about two polls taken at BlackBerry Live this past week that seem to show that the QWERTY equipped BlackBerry Q10 might just help the company grab some business away from competing platforms including iOS and Android; in Canada, this has already started, at least according to Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt...

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Nearly two-thirds of former BlackBerry users hear the siren call from the BlackBerry Q10

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:22:00 -0500

Even before the QWERTY equipped BlackBerry Q10 started to rollout late last month in Canada and the U.K., it seemed to be obvious that this was the model that would make or break BlackBerry 10.; even BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins seemed to come around to the idea that the all-touch BlackBerry Z10 was not the device that BlackBerry fans hungered for...

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Is Intel inside the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1?

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:22:00 -0500

Early Saturday morning, before the rooster was up to crow about the day ahead, we told you about the Lenovo IdeaPhone K900 getting to see the light of day in China; we mainly discussed that the phone has "Intel Inside". According to another GL Benchmark test, the GT-P5200 will feature a 1.6Ghz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ paired with an PowerVR SGX 544MP working on the graphics...

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Rumored specs for the "rugged" Samsung Galaxy S4 reveal a different processor under the hood

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:33:00 -0500

The so-called "rugged" version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 that is expected to be released water and dust proof, has just been through the GFX Benchmark site and some interesting information has been revealed; first of all, according to the site, the name of the phone will be the Samsung Galaxy S4 J Active with one model (SGH-I537) heading for AT&T in the states, while another model (GT-I9295) will be released in Europe...

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Parting images and wrap-up from the last day of Google I/O

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:02:00 -0500

Another year, another Google I/O conference comes to a close and unleashed unto the world are...

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Benchmark powerhouse Lenovo IdeaPhone K900 is released in China

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:48:00 -0500

You might remember the Lenovo IdeaPhone K900 as the 5.5 inch device from China whose AnTuTu Benchmark score edged the scores tallied by some of the most high powered Android devices now available; models taken down by the device include the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC DROID DNA and the Samsung GALAXY Note II...

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HTC One to get updated to Android 4.2.2. in a matter of weeks

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:02:00 -0500

The HTC One currently is powered by Android 4.1.2, but according to an insider, the phone is just weeks away from getting updated to Android 4.2.2; considering that Android 4.2.2 has been rolling out to various devices since February, it is not such a surprise that owners of the device want the later Android build on their phone...

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Yahoo's Board to meet Sunday to discuss $1.1 billion all-cash deal for Tumblr; press event set for Monday

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:33:00 -0500

On Thursday, we told you that Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is fixated on buying hosting site Tumblr for $1 billion and according to people close to the situation, Yahoo's board is going to get together on Sunday (that's why they earn the big bucks) to discuss an all-cash $1.1 billion offer for Tumblr; sources in tune with Mayer's thinking say that Tumblr will be the property that Yahoo will use as the base for the company going forward...

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Google+ Hangouts has some fun Easter eggs

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:53:00 -0500

We all know that Google loves Easter eggs. The company puts them in many of its products, and the newly released Google+ Hangouts is no exception. There are actually six different Easter eggs for Hangouts users, but unfortunately, they aren't available on mobile, only in either the Chrome app or inside Google+ itself...

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Fitbit now supports Galaxy S4 syncing, but not with S Health

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:44:00 -0500

One of the thousands of features that Samsung has packed into the Galaxy S4 is S Health, which promises to track all sorts of things (assuming you have the right accessories). The Fitbit is an established player in the personal health tracking game, and the app has just been updated to support syncing on the Galaxy S4, but unfortunately it doesn't work with S Health...

PhoneArena's John Velasco talks about the geek life in an interview

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:08:00 -0500

For those of you following our site for some time now, you know John as one of our resident reviewers, but in this interview, he dives deeper into what it’s like living the geek life. From answering questions such as “what makes you a geek” to others like “your favorite comic book hero...

Itsdagram is back in Windows Phone Store; includes filters for full Instagram experience

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 -0500

The closest thing that Windows Phone users have to Instagram these days is Itsdagram; originally launched without photo filters, the app was published last Friday before it was quickly pulled to fix some bugs and add some new features. We are happy to report that the app has returned to the Windows Phone Store with a new UI that allows users to "like" and add comments from the feed view...

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Up close demo of Epson Moverio glasses and YouTube functionality

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:24:00 -0500

Epson and APX Labs are at Google I/O showing off the development which will allow YouTube viewing and...

Apple's iRadio hits another snag; WWDC launch in jeopardy

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:26:00 -0500

Back in March, and again last month, we passed along the word that the failure of Apple to reach a deal with Sony Music was delaying the launch of iRadio; unless you've been in an isolation chamber these last few months, you know that this is Apple's free streaming music service with which it will compete against services like Pandora and Spotify...

Android talks and does Braille

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:49:00 -0500

One of the interesting sessions held at Google I/O was the “Enabling Blind and Low-Vision Accessibility on Android...

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Sprint buys spectrum and customers from U.S. Cellular

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:45:00 -0500

The nation's third largest carrier, Sprint, has agreed to purchase some PCS spectrum and a large number of customers from U.S. Cellular; Sprint will receive in the deal, 20MHz of PCS spectrum in various Midwest markets including Chicago, South Bend, Indiana and Champaign, Illinois. The carrier also will be adding 10MHz in St. Louis...

Picture, specs leak for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:08:00 -0500

Last month, we passed along some speculation involving the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0; now, the buzz around the water cooler is that late next month, the Korean based manufacturer will launch both the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 Wi-Fi (SM-T3110) and the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 3G (SM-T3100)...

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Samsung TecTiles2 now available for Samsung Galaxy S4

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:45:00 -0500

While the Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with an NFC chip that makes it incompatible with the original Samsung TecTiles, the Korean based manufacturer has started offering TecTiles2 which will work on the latest Android flagship model. TecTiles are programmable stickers that use NFC to make a phone perform a specific task when it taps the sticker...

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