Kin Studio closing January 31st, Verizon offers free phones to affected customers
Though the final nail in the Microsoft Kin coffin has yet to be tapped into place, the software that made the pair of ill-fated handsets strangely compelling will soon get the axe. Come January 31st, Kin Studio will be no more, effectively neutering existing Kin phones by removing them from the cloud. They'll still be able to make calls, send SMS, email, browse the web and even stream music via Zune Pass, but their formerly live homescreens will become lifeless, stripped of social networking functionality -- and will actually remain stuck on their very last status update, much like a broken clock
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: from-the-cloud, kin, music, phone, phones, sms, studio, Transition, vzw
Viber VoIP iPhone app: 3G calling, no registration, and totally free
You know those voice minutes you've been coaxed into buying for, like, ever? Now would be an awesome time to bid 'em adieu. Out of nowhere, Viber has swooped in to crush the dreams of Skype and every other VoIP provider out there, and if these guys can reach critical mass, avid iPhone users will certainly be able to buy a mobile plan with fewer minutes.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: apple, appstore, entry, excellent-over, iphone, mobile, number, result, skype, sms, standard-voice, voip
Android Notifier sends notifications to your desktop
If you've ever used Android for any period of time, you know that the notification system can be both a blessing and a curse -- it's one of the most powerful, useful, and flexible approaches out there, but if you don't keep up, your menu bar can stack up into a mess of cryptic numbered icons. So we were really hoping Android Notifier could help us with that -- it pipes notifications to your OS X desktop over WiFi or Bluetooth. (Linux support is coming soon, and the project is looking for a Windows volunteer.) While it works as described -- we had it up and running with Growl on our iMac in just a few moments -- it's also unfortunately a little limited: only phone, SMS, MMS, and voicemail notifications are sent, and clearing them on the computer doesn't clear them on the phone, which sort of misses the point.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: app, approaches, curse, developers, engadget, growl, knock-it-too, menu, Mms, moments, notifier, period, pipes, sms, windows
T-Mobile UK quietly retracts Pulse’s buggy 2.1 update, Huawei says it was non-final anyway
Remember T-Mobile's money-saving, finger-friendly Pulse ? You know, the Huawei Android handset that received a 2.1 update in Hungary back in May? Earlier this month (on the 6th, to be precise), said phone's British counterpart also received its share of cream-filled pastry , but perhaps one with cream gone sour.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: british, engadget, entry, fri, huawei, mobile, pastry, phone, pull, pulled-the-plug, pulse, retraction, sms, yikes
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: apple-peel, beta 3, existing-touch, Generation, iphone, sms, student, surfaces, tradition
Apple Peel 520 gets reviewed: turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, but quirks exist
No one expressly said that the Apple Peel 520 would change your life, but if you play your cards right, that's not entirely out of the question. The mysterious doodad -- which wraps around your iPod touch and holds an extended battery and SIM card -- has caused quite the stir since being revealed late last month, and now it has undergone a full review overseas. Put simply, the device does work as advertised, turning one's iPod touch into a device fully capable of making / receiving calls as well as texts.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: apple peel 520, apple-peel, battery, cards, doodad, entry, ipodtouch, mod, peel, question, receiving-calls, sms, source, voip
VoxOx expands its virtual phone number offerings, lets Canadians play along
Virtual phone numbers aren't exactly hard to come by these days, but TelCentris' VoxOx looks to be doing a decent job of distinguishing itself with its newly announced offerings -- and, for a change, it's letting Canadians in on the act. The new options expand on the basic free virtual number included with VoxOx's current service and, in addition to Canadian phone numbers, include numbers that are SMS and fax-capable for both inbound and outbound calls, and an optional "vanity" search for those willing to try their luck at snagging the phone number they've always wanted. Unlike Google Voice, you can also link as many virtual phone numbers to your account as you like, and you'll get free iNum integration so you can be accessible from overseas at local rates
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: complete, cto, engadget, number, press, release, result, sms, telcentris, virtualphonenumbers
Geocron lets Latitude automate your life, or at least your wife
Our pockets and camera bags are stuffed with locationally aware devices , yet for some reason we find ourselves still having to do stuff manually when we get somewhere.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: geocron, google-latitude, important-part, Latitude, pockets, sms, sunlight labs, windows
T-Mobile rolls out fresh unlimited prepaid voice and text plans
So those rumored new prepaid options for T-Mobile's American customers have turned out to be delightfully legit, and they're being made available pronto. To be specific, there are two new options coming into the fold: a $50 unlimited voice and text plan along with a $15 unlimited messaging plan that lumps in voice for 10 cents a minute -- potentially perfect for those of us who've migrated a solid 90 percent of our communication from calling to texting. It's also similar in theory to a plan being floated by Sprint's Common Cents Mobile, offering the same deal for $20 plus 7 cents per minute with its round-down feature -- in other words, Common Cents is probably the better option among the two if you do significantly more calling, though you'll be stuck with a bargain-basement selection of CDMA handsets.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: common-cents, customers, engadget, entry, prepaid-options, prepaid-voice, sms, text-messaging, unlimited, unlimited voice
Beijing Gorld combines sub-par cellphone with lackluster e-reader
Alongside the Get Smart shoe phone , Beijing Gorld's 600TW e-reader / cellphone has to be one of the less useful combos we can imagine. As an E Ink device, it's pretty straightforward -- 6-inch display and a battery life of approximately 6,000 page turns.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: 600tw, battery-life, beijing, beijing-gorld, cellphone, connectivity, engadget, gprs, plethora, shoe, smart, sms, the-plethora, useful-combos