Pocketables

T-Mobile wants to gain spectrum, stop AT&T and Verizon

We found out just this Tuesday that T-Mobile will soon be getting a chunk of AT&T wireless spectrum to bulk up its network, but apparently that still isn't enough bandwidth for the outmatched magenta carrier. They are currently looking to aggressively  buy more spectrum at upcoming government auctions, and are concerned about being outbid by much larger (and richer) carriers.

This is due to some new legislation in Congress that would prevent the FCC from excluding AT&T and Verizon from the auctions based on the amount of spectrum they already have. In response to the perceived threat, the company's VP of federal regulatory affairs made this statement: 

"Eliminating the FCC’s authority to establish competitive rules, just as Congress is poised to authorize significant new auctions, could discourage participation by bidders other than the largest carriers, ironically driving down auction revenues and potentially undermining the very economic development Congress hopes to gain through its legislation."

Obviously, T-Mobile basically wants to exclude the big carriers so they can buy the spectrum for cheap, but in this case that probably is the best thing for consumers as well. T-Mobile's network has lagged behind AT&T, Verizon, and even Sprint, so even though the AT&T acquisition has fallen through, a GSM monopoly could still emerge if T-Mobile can't compete.  

As such, even though it seems unfair to block the larger carriers from the auctions, overall it will probably be the best thing for consumers. Hopefully T-Mobile can win some of these battles and get back into the wireless race, because having another strong competitor (who currently has the cheapest prices as well) can only be good for the market.

[T-Mobile Blog]

Sony Xperia S gets even better with fast charging and durability coating

We have been in love with Sony's Xperia S smartphone since we first caught a leaked glimpse of it back in December, and since then things have only gotten better. The announced specs were almost exactly what we thought they would be, and Sony even has plans for an AT&T version of the device. Now, according to a European product manager, the Xperia S will have two more previously unannounced features.

The first is rapid charging, purported to allow you to charge your device in half the time taken by other phones. While it's not the ideal solution to battery life, the lithium-polymer technology should certainly help. The other improvement is a special "dirt-repellent UV-active nano-coating," which sounds to me a lot like Fujitsu's new durability coating (albeit without the waterproofing).

Although the latter improvement has been confirmed by Sony's Facebook page, we still have no idea what exactly UV nano coating does. Of course, as long as it doesn't break anything there seems to be no reason not to have it. 

We also don't know if these improvements will also be present on the AT&T Ion, but it seems safe to assume they will. However, if you want to get your hands on the Xperia S/Ion before this spring, you may be better off looking to the international GSM version.

[Xperia Blog]  

Samsung Galaxy S II review

With the Galaxy Note fresh off the assembly line and rumors of the Galaxy S III breathing down everyone's necks, the Samsung Galaxy S II doesn't show up in the spotlight as often as it used to. Still, it's one of the top Android phones out there, and is far from outdated. With it getting cheaper and cheaper and putting up camp in the mid-range price segment it's gaining a lot of new users, and yours truly is one of them. Read on for a review of the Samsung Galaxy S II (international version). 

Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx is released on Verizon

As always, CES brought us a ton of device announcements from a massive amount of different manufacturers and carriers. One of those devices was the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx, and it's finally available for purchase.

If you don't remember what makes the sequel to the original Droid RAZR so special, I'll gladly remind you since I like writing about incredible hardware. Including being one of the thinnest phones around at just 8.9mm, the Maxx also has a 3300mAh battery. That's one of the biggest selling points of the device, as it can achieve a whopping 21 hours of continuous talk time. 

So, if you're still interested in picking one of these up for yourself, you can give your friendly neighborhood (or online) Verizon store a relatively hefty $299.99. Of course, thanks to the beauty of the internet, you could also go to Amazon Wireless and save $100. 

[Verizon | Amazon]

HTC to slow down on releases and focus on amazing hardware

If you were to walk into any carrier's brick-and-mortar store, chances are that you'd see a multitude of different devices from any one manufacturer inside. Samsung has the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II devices competing for the top spot, and HTC has all of its great phones, too. But according to HTC's UK Chief Phil Roberson, the manufacturer doesn't want to do that anymore.

"We have to get back to focusing on what made us great – amazing hardware and a great customer experience. We ended 2011 with far more products than we started out with. We tried to do too much. So 2012 is about giving our customers something special. We need to make sure we do not go so far down the line that we segment our products by launching lots of different SKUs."

Roberson also stated that HTC will be focusing on smartphones this year, but it also won't be stepping entirely out of the tablet market, either. But given the company's plan to release a few amazing devices a year, it's probably better to pour all its resources into smartphones. 

I've always loved HTC's devices, but I do think that 2011 was its messiest year in terms of device SKUs. I would accept one or two phones per carrier from the company; however, having low-, mid-, and high-end smartphones alongside its featurephone offerings on AT&T is pretty indicative of a company that doesn't communicate very well on the inside. I understand the need for product diversity, but that's a bit too much. At most, how about a mid- and a high-end smartphone per carrier, with one or two carriers having a featurephone? 

[Mobile Today]

ZTE Optik is Sprint's $99, 7-inch Honeycomb tablet

Sprint has a mixed history of loving tablets. RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is one of those examples that's negative: the carrier killed the idea of having a WiMAX-capable version, but it did offer a 3G variant. Unfortunately, the latter wasn't ever marketed very well. 

Today, though, it looks like Sprint is going to start marketing one of its forthcoming tablets a little better. It's called the ZTE Optik, and it's a 7-inch Honeycomb tablet that will cost just $99.99 on contract. 

For that price, you're getting a pretty sweet deal. On top of being compatible with Sprint's 3G network, it also has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD slot for further expansion, and 4000mAh battery. 

I'm looking forward to more cheap tablets from all sorts of companies. As we all know, prices do matter the most in a regular consumer's purchase — just look at the HP TouchPad or the Kindle Fire. If more companies and carriers get the prices just right, we could see an explosion of innovation in the tablet market this year.

[Android Police]

Sony Tablet P will get Ice Cream Sandwich, PlayStation certification this spring

Sony's dual-screen Tablet P hasn't been in the news much lately, but in is nevertheless a really neat device that hinges (literally) on a some pretty unique industrial design. However, it has also so far been relegated to mostly a niche market, thanks both to its price and uncommon design. Usually, this means that the manufacturer will delay or forget about updates, but fortunately Sony still seems dedicated to their platform.

According to a spokesperson at a London event, Sony plans to roll out the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Tablet P sometime this spring. Along with the usual Android 4.0 goodies, the update will also bring along a couple new features like PlayStation certification, which will allow you to download PlayStation games to the Tablet P much like Xperia Play and play them with the PS3 Bluetooth controller. For when you need to get some work done, they have also included more compatibility for Microsoft Office documents.

Even though it has only garnered a limited following, the Tablet P is still a great product. The design is innovative, and it is great that Sony is still supporting it instead of giving up. For current owners of the device, the Ice Cream Sandwich update should be welcome announcement, and may even entice some people on the fence. If it ever comes to AT&T as promised, I know I will be giving it a look.

[TechRadar]

iPhone 5 specs leaked by Foxconn employee?

The iPhone 4S was released in October 2011, which was just four months ago. During those four months, not much has been said about the next iteration of Apple's smartphone hit; today, though, that changes. 

A source from Foxconn leaked a few specs about the iPhone "5" today, and they're probably true, considering that they aren't outrageous. Also, at least two prototypes have been seen by this Foxconn employee, and both of them are different. I would bet money that at least a couple of these rumored specs turn out to be true. 

• The next iPhone will have at least a 4-inch screen. This was on both of the devices, so expect this to come to fruition.
• The long-rumored, iPod touch-esque teardrop shape isn't going to show up in the next generation, either. 
• Both devices, however, do not share the same form factor as the iPhone 4/4S.

Rumor has it that the new iPhone will actually be released this summer, which kind of comes as a surprise to me. Since the iPhone 4S was released in October, I would've expected the same release timeframe for this year. 

[9to5Mac]

HP announces Open webOS 1.0, will be completed by September

When HP announced that it would be open-sourcing webOS, the entire tech industry was really shocked. Most people expected some sort of sale or revamp of the operating system, but not what I consider a giveaway of the software to developers and the tech community. But that's what HP did, thankfully, and today, the company has outlined what the road to openness will look like until September.

Enyo 2.0 was released today. What you see above is the logo for Enyo, which is HP's app framework for webOS. It's completely browser-independent, meaning that users of any modern browser like Safari, Chrome, or Firefox will be able to access all of webOS' apps right from their browser. Virtually any internet user can access these apps, which makes the value of webOS shoot straight up: every person with a smartphone, tablet, and/or traditional desktop computer can use webOS apps. I don't see how that isn't a great deal for developers. 

Also, like I said earlier, HP detailed the roadmap for the open-sourcing of webOS. Every month, the company will push out a fairly significant update to what is dubbed Open webOS' insides. For example, July will bring a system manager and core applications alongside Enyo 2.2.

But the biggest update will be the one that updates the operating system to use the standard Linux kernal. Really, just think of it as Android's kernal. This opens up the opportunity for Open webOS to run on a plethora of Android devices if developers get the drivers lined up correctly. 

Open webOS has a lot of potential at the high- and low-end of smartphones and tablets. It could be offered as a budget smartphone since it won't cost anything, or developers could use the saved money to beef up the internals. I hope manufacturers go crazy with it.

[The Verge]

Noreve Tradition C leather case for Samsung Galaxy S II review

I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy S II to replace my 2.5 year old iPhone 3GS. I've been a heavy user of always-on cases for a long time, but with the S II, I want the ability to dock it at home and not deal with the added bulk except when I actually need protection. The natural choice then is a pouch style case, which you'll normally find in either leather or imitation leather. Noreve is a brand that's practically synonymous with leather cases in my head, so not long after I had made that decision I had a brand new Tradition C leather case in my hands, provided by Noreve for review. Read on to see if it's any good.