web stats service from statcounter




Techradar - All the latest technology news





Late to the game, Verizon to offer Google Play carrier billing



Late to the game, Verizon to offer Google Play carrier billing

Verizon just arrived fashionably late to the Google Play party. The wireless company announced Thursday it will start supporting carrier billing for the online media store.

But hold up: don't rush to your phones and start buying games, music, movies and books for your mobile device just yet. Verizon is rolling out the new billing process sometime in the next few weeks.

The news came over the Twitter wire, where the playful media magnet let Verizon users know they will can soon charge purchases through the carrier to that will show up on their phone bills.

"Hey @Verizon Customers! Pay for Google Play apps, music and more on your phone bill. We're rolling this out over the coming weeks. Enjoy!" the tweet read.

Verizon finally arrives

Other than that the details are pretty scarse on the deal, though there might be a $25 per month limit on how many digital good users can charge through their phone bill.

However, if you hit that limit, there is always a good old fashioned credit card.

Google rolled out a similar carrier billing plan for the Android app store a while ago, and Verizon is the last major carrier to pick up Google Play.

Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile were among the first carriers to support the billing option back in May, making Verizon five months late.

The move is interesting since Verizon customers can purchase items off Google Play through Isis, a digital wallet app.

Isis is a joint venture backed by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. However, the app is still in its trial stages, though look for it to start hitting customers in select cities next week.

Maybe Verizon just couldn't wait any longer to start offering customers episodes of "Mythbusters" and subscriptions to GQ. We'll see how the details unfold when the service officially rolls out.











Another photo, new details on LG Nexus 4 emerge



Another photo, new details on LG Nexus 4 emerge

Considering the device isn't even officially acknowledged yet, there's a surprising amount of information available about the LG Nexus 4.

What's likely the new flagship Android device first popped up in early October, when it was rumored that the LG Nexus 4 (then known as the LG Optimus G Nexus) would appear alongside Google's Android 4.2 update in November.

Since then, multiple sources have suggested that the device will go by LG Nexus 4, and supposed photos of the LG Nexus phone (here's some more) and hands-on reports have emerged as well.

On Friday, new details, along with another photo, emerged once again.

@evleaks at it again

The Twitter handle @evleaks has shed light on devices ranging from the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 to, more recently, the HTC One X+.

So it was no surprise that the latest LG Nexus 4 leak came by way of the @evleaks Twitter account as well.

The photo appears to show a simple view of the back of the LG Nexus 4, and it looks to match earlier images.

@evleaks LG Nexus 4

More importantly, the details in the tweet reveal some previously unknown data about the device's measurements: it reportedly weighs in at 139 grams and measures 9.1 millimeters, with a 4.7-inch screen.

LG Nexus 4 specs: what we think we know

Those details, as well as the 1.5GHz APQ8064 quad-core processor, 1280x768 resolution, 2GB of memory, 8-megapixel camera and 8GB-16GB of storage mentioned in the tweet, support previous rumors about the LG Nexus 4.

The @evleaks tweet also mentions a 2,100mAh battery and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.

As was previously reported, the LG Nexus 4 sticks closely to the LG Optimus G's innards, while apparently bearing a striking external resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

With a Google Android hardware announcement scheduled for Oct. 29, an official unveiling of the LG Nexus 4 seems just around the corner, so all may soon be revealed.













T-Mobile to host Oct. 29 event as info on changed data plans emerges



T-Mobile to host Oct. 29 event as info on changed data plans emerges

T-Mobile is joining the parade of Oct. 29 events as Friday it announced a rather ambiguous happening for the last Monday of the month.

Microsoft and Google are each hosting events then as well, though the Softie's party is in San Francisco to showcase Windows Phone 8 while the G-men are hosting an Android affair in New York.

Just what T-Mo has up its sleeves is much harder to gauge, though chances are we'll see announcements pertaining to the carrier's fall/winter lineup fall out.

Pricing and exact availability for devices like Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 are still unknowns, so getting details for that and the Nokia Lumia 810 are big probables.

TechRadar is attending the T-Mobile event and will bring all the news and device reviews to the fore.

Data changes

In other T-Mobile news, TmoNews has dug up a change to the carrier's smartphone data requirements, finding that the minimum now rests at 2GB a month, up from 200MB.

The change occurred Oct. 10 and now has customers paying $20 a month for 2GB of data. Before, the minimum amount was a paltry 200MB for $10 per month.

T-Mobile's apparent explanation is that 200MB is eaten up in a flash by modern cellphones, and the change makes sense for modern usage.

2GB, the company reasoned, keeps customers from paying unwelcome overage charges or throttling.













Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar



Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

This week we've got the definitive verdict on Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD 7-inch, while we've also updated our Hands on review of the hottest Windows 8 tablet around - the Microsoft Surface which goes on sale next week for £399.

We've also checked out one of hottest bridge cameras around - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200.

Enjoy this week's reviews on TechRadar and prepare yourself for a bumper week of tech next week, with iPad mini and Windows 8 laptops and tablets also taking a bow. On with the show...

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7" review

While the standard Kindle Fire has been lightly revised and reissued to actually make it to Britain for a mere £129, the new Kindle Fire HD is Amazon's true effort to fight off the Nexus 7 and upcoming Nook HD. With a totally new build, notably enhanced display, and front-facing camera, it's a marked enhancement over the original Fire model, but are Amazon's custom UI and ecosystem still holding it back for power users?

Whereas the base Kindle Fire model sports a rather clunky, utilitarian build, the HD feels smoothed out – it's a little taller (7.6 inches vs 7.44) and notably wider (5.4 inches vs 4.72) when held in portrait orientation, though it's also slightly slimmer (0.4 inches vs 0.45). Weight-wise, it drops only .2 oz to 13.9.

Hands on: Microsoft Surface review

Microsoft Surface

Black, bevelled and beautifully designed; has Microsoft actually got a decent iPad competitor in its Windows RT-toting Surface tablet?

Magnesium chassis, vapour deposition coating, cutaway edges, ClearType HD display; the design credentials and the specs for the Microsoft Surface Windows RT tablet are impressive. In the flesh this is a delightful piece of hardware that looks good – and is practical too.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 review

Lumix DMCFZ200

Bridge cameras are perhaps sometimes unfairly dismissed as not being tools for 'proper photographers'. Perhaps what this niche has needed is a newcomer to storm onto the scene with a specification list that will make all the dedicated DSLR users out there do a double-take.

Perhaps the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is that camera.

With an impressive list of numbers and features, the Panasonic FZ200 could very well be the first small bridge camera to truly make DSLR owners - or those thinking about upgrading to a DSLR - rethink their plans.

Other reviews on TechRadar this week

Compact Cameras

Nikon P7700 review

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS review

Nikon Coolpix S6300 review

Graphics Cards

Zotac GeForce GTX 650 Ti review

Headsets

Plantronics Voyager Legend review

Plantronics headset

Mobile phones

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review

Verizon Jetpack 890L review

LG Intuition 4G LTE review

Motorola MotoSmart review

Sony Xperia Miro review

Motherboards

Asus F2A85-V Pro review

Asus F2A85-V Pro review

Asus F2A85V Pro

ASRock Z77 OC Formula review

Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 review

NAS drives

Transcend StoreJet Cloud review

Operating systems

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacentre review

Processors

AMD A10-5800K review

Projectors

Epson EH-TW6000W review

Tablets

Hands on: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review

Hands on: Asus Padfone 2 review

Asus Padfone 2

Televisions

Toshiba 46TL963 review

Panasonic TX-P50VT50B review










0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Top