Today MetroPCS announced the new LG Spirit 4G (LG MS870). The new device could be considered the bigger brother of the LG Motion 4G, as both have similar specs. The new LG Spirit 4G does weigh in with a bigger, brighter and higher resolution IPS display however. Here’s a look at the specs Read more…
Thanks to the team over at MBAOnline.com for this infographic showing Android’s rise to success… check it out!
Ubuntu Phone OS
Canonical, the people behind Ubuntu have announced the release of their Ubuntu Phone OS. They expect it to be shipping on devices in 2013 but are still in talks with manufacturers. Expected features include a Welcome Screen instead of Read more…
When I bought my Nexus 7 and my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I did so with the anticipation of getting all the latest and greatest from Google as soon as it was ready… well, I haven’t been disappointed. This past week both of my Nexus devices got their upgrades to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Yesterday, regional CDMA/LTE mobile carrier MetroPCS announced the launch of Rich Communication Services on their 4G LTE network, making them the first 4G LTE carrier to do so in the world. They will be using Joyn, a GSMA-licensed brand. So, what does this mean to MetroPCS users? Well, at first not much.
The Joyn service, at launch, is only available to customers using the Samsung Galaxy Read more…
Google Now on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus
Personal assistant apps are a great way to get things done quickly and relatively hands-free. For users of Android 4.1 and higher, you’ll find Google Now to be a great improvement to previous versions of Android’s integrated Google Search app.
It gives you quick glimpses at things like weather, traffic and directions to recently searched destinations, sports scores and more. From the main window (pictured left) voice recognition can be activated by simply saying “Google” or by touching the microphone in the search bar. Of course, searches can also be carried out by typing as well.
Google Now can carry out web searches, get directions, find images, set alarms, send texts and even place phone calls… but out of the box it can’t set calendar reminders. Luckily, there is a work around…. for most people. Read more…
So, I took a month off and while I was gone everything got all crazy! But, in a way it didn’t. In the past month I had to move back to north eastern PA from the Daytona Beach area of Florida. I knew that with that move I would have to drop my MetroPCS service… simply because they don’t offer service in Scranton. I debated what avenue I should take, cell phone-wise. I knew I wasn’t going to go back to “on contract” service, but should I go with Boost, Virgin Mobile or maybe Cricket? I also looked at MVNO’s like Straight Talk, Simple Mobile and H2O, but I keep hearing stories of people using those services getting data speeds throttled or cut off completely.
So, I started thinking about T-Mobile and decided to check out their no-contract offerings. For $70 a month you can bring your own unlocked GSM device, sign no contracts and get unlimited talk, text and data… the catch is only up to 5GB is at their “4G” HSPA+ speeds, after that you get knocked down to 2G speeds. But still that’s not bad. They have a $60 plan that caps your 4G speeds at 2.5GB. They also offer their own line of pre-paid phones, but like MetroPCS the good ones are insanely expensive. On the bright side, on the bring your own device option you can (at the time of this writing) get a T-Mo SIM card for only $0.99.
I decided to go with the no contract T-Mobile plan, mostly because I like the idea of being able to use any unlocked GSM phone of my choice. I went ahead and bought a new Samsung Galaxy Nexus… I know what you’re thinking… “That phone is almost a year old and a new Nexus is on it’s way any time now”. Very true, but the upcoming new Nexus is made by LG and, although I had great luck with my LG Optimus M and LG Esteem, and thought highly of the LG Connect and LG Motion, I just don’t know if I can handle another LG.
It’s only after I had decided to take this route that the T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger was announced… How about that, looks like I might be able to go back to Metro after the merger is completed and they get access to T-Mo’s nationwide network.
