Personal communications

Optimus G Pro to be center of LG's 'Share the Genius' event

Slowly but surely, LG is releasing more details about its "Share the Genius" event, that's scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 in New York City.

The event will take place at The Metropolitan Pavilion at 8 p.m. EST, and will feature the band Atlas Genius (hence, the "Share the Genius" event name).

Most importantly, however, is that the event will focus on the LG Optimus G Pro.

The handset debuted back in February, during MWC 2013. Its 5.5-inch full-HD IPS screen places it in "phablet" territory, and it's pitted as a … Read more

How to get your hands on the HTC One

The HTC One, otherwise known as the phone that we're sort of in love with right now, hits various online and retail stores today.

Two carriers that offer the device, AT&T and Sprint, start selling the device today via both their respective online and retail stores.

However, only AT&T carries both storage capacities for the HTC One.

Contract-free carrier T-Mobile also starts selling the handset today, though users can only purchase it online for now. Starting on April 24, it will be available in the carrier's retail stores.

Unfortunately, Verizon will not offer the … Read more

SF takes first step to approve watered-down cellphone radiation settlement

A San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a watered-down settlement with the wireless industry over legislation that required cell phone retailers to distribute radiation warning materials.

As currently written, the settlement calls for San Francisco to agree to a permanent injunction against the "Right to Know" ordinance and promise that it will refrain from further litigation. In return, the CTIA, the wireless industry's trade association, will waive any claims to attorney's fees.

The proposed settlement now advances to the full board for consideration at its May 7 meeting. If approved … Read more

Larry Page: Android powers Google Glass, obviously

Google uses its Android mobile operating system to power its Glass devices, Chief Executive Larry Page confirmed yesterday.

"Obviously Glass runs on Android," Page said toward the end of the conference call reporting Google's strong first-quarter financial results.

It's not a surprise, given how the engineering resources Google already has poured into Android. But the company hadn't confirmed it, even when it detailed Google Glass specifications last week.

Fragmentophobes might freak out that Android is being stretched to yet another device: it's hard enough for programmers to keep up with the diversity in screen … Read more

Archos throws hat into Android smartphone ring

Archos announced today that it will release its first family of Google smartphones in Europe by the end of May. Each handset will feature dual SIMs, a pure Android OS experience, and cloud storage capabilities.

Its most entry-level device is called the 35 Carbon. For $99.99, it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 1,300mAh battery, and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

It includes 512GB of RAM, 4GB of ROM, and a microSD card slot that takes cards of up to 32GB. Its 3.5-inch IPS display has a 320x480-pixel resolution, and its rear-facing camera … Read more

Eye Tribe for Android tracks eyes, makes fingers obsolete

Today, during the Demo Mobile conference in San Francisco, The Eye Tribe, maker of eye-tracking software for Android, announced that in June it will release a developers' kit for games and apps.

In its press release, The Eye Tribe claims to make the "world's first eye control software" for Android devices.

The software makes it possible to scroll down Web pages, play games, and unlock your home screen, using nothing but your eyes.

While devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 are said to have eye-tracking software already, that handset's Smart Pause feature only recognizes whether your … Read more

Amazon's Appstore expanding to nearly 200 countries

Amazon's Appstore is about to grow awfully big in a short amount of time.

The company today announced that developers can now submit applications to its marketplace for nearly 200 countries. The new entrants to the company's Appstore include Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Vatican City.

Before developers get too excited, it's important to note that the apps won't be available in those countries just yet. Instead, Amazon is asking that they be submitted to its marketplace in anticipation of the Appstore's launch in those countries "in the coming months."

Amazon has been slowly … Read more

ACLU to FTC: Mobile carriers fail to provide good Android security

The America Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission today asking the agency to investigate the four major mobile carriers' security practices in regards to smartphones.

The civil liberties group claims that AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint are not doing enough to protect users' private and personal data -- specifically on Android devices. The gist of the complaint (PDF) is that these carriers aren't providing users with timely security updates, which the ACLU says is akin to "deceptive and unfair business practice."

"The major wireless carriers have sold millions of … Read more

LG Revere 2 and Cosmos 3 available on Verizon

Sneaking under the radar this week are two new feature handsets available on Verizon Wireless. Known as the LG Revere 2 and Cosmos 3, the devices are available for free under a two-year contract. Without one, however, they cost $199.99 and $189.99, respectively.

The LG Revere 2 is a sequel to 2011's Revere. In addition to its clamshell construction, it sports a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 1,000mAh battery that has a reported talk-time of about 7 hours, and Bluetooth 2.1.

Furthermore, it has an external, 0.98-inch display, as well as a 2-inch internal color … Read more

HTC One landing on T-Mobile on April 24

T-Mobile apparently just confirmed an April 24 availability date for the HTC One smartphone. Rather than through a formal press release, the carrier confirmed when HTC's hot flagship handset will grace its shelves via a short and sweet Twitter update.

According to T-Mobile watcher TmoNews, the wireless company tweeted the info tidbit through its T-Mobile USA account. The announcement specifically calls out the LTE version of the HTC One, which should come as no surprise since it was one of the devices highlighted at the carrier's recent LTE unveiling in New York.

There's been a lot of … Read more