Phone Arena - Latest News

Update for Asus Transformer Pad TF300 makes the device more stable

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:51:00 -0500

A minor OTA update that went out Friday to some owners of the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is now being released to all owners; the word on the street is that the update makles some stability improvements and if there is one thing in the word we need more of, it's stability...

Photos:

HTC phones stopped at border are beginning to enter the States

Sun, 20 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

According to Engadget, some of those HTC handsets that were being held up by Customs are managing to make their way into the United States, by legal means that is; each unit mkust be reviewed by a Customs official and HTC says it is not sure which model is being released...

Photos:

Lumia surpasses DROID on Google search

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:19:00 -0500

In what could be the sign of a sea change coming in the mobile industry, Google Trends shows that "Lumia" has been requested as a search term on Google more often than "DROID" despite Verizon's new advertisements for their Motorola DROID RAZR handsets...

Photos:

GameStop Mobile brings another no contract GSM option to US

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:59:00 -0500

GameStop Mobile has announced the launch of its new prepaid service. Running on the AT&T network, GameStop Mobile allows you to bring your own device and uses AT&T's network to place calls, texts, and data...

Samsung Focus 2 now available, brings $49.99 LTE to AT&T

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:56:00 -0500

How about scoring a handcset with LTE coverage for under $50? Starting on Sunday, AT&T is offering the Windows Phone flavored Samsung Focus 2 for just $49.99 with a signed 2-year pact; of course, with a price like that, you get entry-level specs...

Photos:

Vivendi struggles to cope with subscriber losses in highly competitive market

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:55:00 -0500

French media and telecom company Vivendi says mobile sector continues to put a damper on profits amid a highly competitive market...

American Express enhances its My Offers program with an improved iPhone app

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:50:00 -0500

American Express has had a long history of offering exclusive deals to their card members through various social media outlets, but now the company is taking the idea to a new level by integrating the offers directly into its iPhone Application...

US Postal Service to offer 2 percent discount for mail with QR codes

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:45:00 -0500

The United States Postal Service announced that it would offer a 2 percent postage discount in July and August for letters containing a QR code. USPS has been struggling with the increasing movement to email, and it hopes this move will help slow its losses...

Voyager Mobile now open for business; $19 a month gives you unlimited talk and text

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:36:00 -0500

After a malicious network attack delayed its Grand Opening, Voyager Mobile is now signing up customers for its $19 service; the brainchild of a 22 year-old, Voyager offers $19 monthly unlimited talk and text or $39 a month unlimited talk, text and web...

Photos:

Samsung attacks Apple experts as "slavishly" following Apple's cult-like status

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:36:00 -0500

A paragraph from a motion filed by Samsung in a California court case attacks Apple's experts for casting aside legal principals in favor of slavish adoration of the Cupertino based company's cult-like existance; one particular expert refers to the late Steve Jobs as "St. Eve"...

Photos:

Microsoft tells Windows Phone users to update to Windows Phone 7.5

Sun, 20 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

A blog post by Microsoft’s director of program management Mazhar Mohammed is an attempt to get Windows Phone users still using the WP7 OS to update to Windows Phone 7.5; the update is necessary for users to buy, downlooad or update apps from Windows Phone Marketplace...

Photos:

SmokedbyWindowsPhone takes over the city of Toronto

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:05:00 -0500

Trying to win $100, challengers with their trusty BlackBerry handsets, Android smartphones and Apple iPhones tried to execute a specific task before it could be completed by a Windows Phone model; in most cases the challengers were SmokedbyWindowsPhone...

'Nokia Reading' now available for all non-U.S. Nokia Lumia Windows Phone models

Sun, 20 May 2012 01:21:00 -0500

As announced last week by Nokia, the Finnish handset manufacturer's reading hub and bookstore is now available for all non-U.S. models of the Nokia Lumia smartphone; the 'Nokia Reading' app gives Windows Phone users the opportunity to download and read NY Times bestsellers on their Nokia Lumia model...

Photos:

Samsung S Voice ripped and available for ICS devices

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:35:00 -0500

S Voice has been one of the new features of the Samsung Galaxy S III that we've been on the fence about. It could very well be useful, but the problem is that the usefulness of a voice command "assistant" has yet to be proven...

RIM's BlackBerry Music Gateway is setting its eyes for an arrival in June for $49.99

Sat, 19 May 2012 21:27:00 -0500

As June quickly approaches, RIM is aiming to complement its existing line of BlackBerry devices, like the Bold 9900 and PlayBook, by bringing to market its BlackBerry Music Gateway. No doubt something that’ll be particularly interesting to grads and dads that have...

Photos:

Machinarium for Android hands-on

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:57:00 -0500

Rather than tantalizing us with some kind of 3D graphics, Machinarium relies on 2D visuals combined with puzzle elements to enthrall gamers. Honestly, the world of Machinarium has an apparent steam punk characteristic to it, as each stage is filled with crazy machinery...

Photos:

Wahoo Fitness Blue HR hands-on

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:33:00 -0500

Dubbed as the world’s first Bluetooth Smart heart rate monitor, the Blue HR is worn around your chest, where two strips on both sides of the device monitors your heart rate. Thanks to its adjustable straps, it’s able to stay firmly in place, even after a sweaty workout session...

Photos:

Griffin HELO TC Assualt hands-on

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:08:00 -0500

First and foremost, the Griffin HELO TC Assault is compatible to work with both Android and iOS devices. However, it requires us to use the included IR adapter, which requires 4 AAA batteries in order to work. And to tell you the truth, it doesn't help when they're not included with the packaging...

Photos:

Stories you shouldn't have missed this week

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:39:00 -0500

It is the weekend again, and as is now tradition, we have put together all of the past week's most interesting stories...

China approves Google's purchase of Motorola, as long as Android stays open and free

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:18:00 -0500

The whole ordeal is finally over everyone. Google is finally allowed to own Motorola. It's been a long time coming, both the EU and the US both approved the deal back on February 13th and the holdup has been with China...

Samsung Galaxy S III made by 75,000 workers; phone is the fastest selling gadget of all-time

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:30:00 -0500

Right now, 75,000 people are busy at work putting together the Samsung Galaxy S III and with 9 million units pre-ordered, this is going to keep each and every one of them busy for some time; using info from Samsung and Apple ExtremeTech.com gets to the 75,000 figure...

Photos:

Samsung GALAXY Nexus discontinued at Telus; magenta Nokia Lumia 800 next

Sat, 19 May 2012 14:08:00 -0500

A leaked Telus document reveals that the Canadian carrier is planning to stop offering the Samsung GALAXY Nexus and the magenta version of the Nokia Lumia 800; the former is only 5 months old and already is being discontinued...

Photos:

Motorola explains why it won't update the Motorola DROID 3 and the Motorola DROID X2 to Android 4.0

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:07:00 -0500

Friday's updated Android 4.0 update schedule for Motorola practically confirmed that a pair of handsets out for less than a year, the Motorola DROID 3 and the Motorola DROID X2, will not be receiving Ice Cream Sandwich; in a statement, Motorola explains the reasoning behind it's decision...

Photos:

MIT researchers create do-it-yourself mobile phone

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:43:00 -0500

You consider yourself a do-it-yourselfer. You change your own oil, paint your own house, build your own computers, but have you ever considered building your own cellphone? Thanks to researchers at MIT, now you can...

Photos:

Videos show off Nokia Camera Extension

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:02:00 -0500

The folks over at WeloveWP.hk conducted a few demos of the Nokia Camera Extension app to show off some of its features. Rather than add an entirely separate app, Nokia Camera Extension adds additional features to the regular Camera Settings menu...

Photos:

Samsung Canada holding Galaxy S III training sessions through June 27

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:41:00 -0500

According to a document leaked by MobileSyrup, “Samsung is presenting Samsung Galaxy S III interactive training sessions” from Wednesday, May 30 through Wednesday, June 27. According to the description, the presentation will be...

Photos:

HTC Amaze 4G online orders indefinitely delayed

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:18:00 -0500

As the results of these patent battles start to come to fruition, this has been the week of delays. We might be seeing yet another casualty of the US Customs’ hold on HTC devices...

Photos:

Apple seeks U.S. ban on Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1; tablet could be pulled from stores next month

Sat, 19 May 2012 04:52:00 -0500

After winning an appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Apple is once again asking for an injunction on the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1; Samsung could be forced to redesign the tablet as it did in Germany as the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1N...

Photos:

Amazon to start charging $600,000 for ads on Amazon Kindle Fire's welcome page

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:54:00 -0500

Amazon is looking to bring in more revenue using the Amazon Kindle Fire by charging $600,000 for space on the 7 inch tablet's Welcome Page; the $600,000 covers two months worth of ads time which shows up on every boot-up by every user of the tablet...

Photos:

T-Mobile Galaxy S III hits the FCC, is it launching soon?

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:49:00 -0500

The device that is widely believed to be the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III has just hit the FCC, which makes us wonder if the T-Mobile variant will be released earlier than the others. The other 3 variants of the Galaxy S III in the US...