Vodafone dodges a spanking as last network to hit 3G target

Shutterstock Vodafone has boosted its 3G coverage to avoid a slap on the wrist, meaning all the UK’s major mobile phone networks now meet their 3G coverage targets. Good work, guys. After all, you’ve only had 14 years. In November, telecoms watchdog Ofcom singled out Vodafone as the only network failing to live up to …

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Samsung sells Galaxy S4, S4 Mini in leatherlike black

Samsung has yet another version of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Mini on the way. This time it’s all in the finish. Related stories: Rose gold Samsung Galaxy Note 3 coming to Verizon Galaxy S4 review Galaxy S5 rumor roundup Announced on Friday, the “Black Edition” of the handsets uses a dark black front and a faux leather rear …

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After upgrade hiccups, Alcatel will skip Firefox OS 1.2

The Alcatel One Touch Fire, one of the inaugural phones to sport Mozilla’s Firefox OS, won’t get version 1.2 of the browser-based operating system — but it will get 1.3. That’s the word from Mozilla and Alcatel. And although it’s an inauspicious start for the browser-based operating system, it’s likely a relief to those who feared Firefox OS 1.1 would …

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Inside G Flex: LG’s long, winding road to setting the curve

With the curvy G Flex, it’s LG — and not Apple — that is showing it can “think different.” The G Flex, which arrives in the US via Sprint stores on Friday, with AT&T and T-Mobile following suit in the next few days, shakes up the normal conventions of the flat, rectangular slab of a touch-screen device pioneered by the …

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Samsung Galaxy S4 adopts Note 3 leather look, hints at S5 styling

Not keen on the Samsung Galaxy S4‘s shiny plastic back? Check out this new version, which steals the Galaxy Note 3‘s faux-leather case. Does this point to a new look for the hotly-tipped Galaxy S5? The new Black Edition of the S4, as you might expect from the name, boasts a black case. The S4 is currently available in red, …

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Lenovo

Lenovo’s purchase of Motorola Mobility should get a green light from US regulators. But the company will have to agree to certain concessions in the name of US national security. On Wednesday, the Chinese computer maker announced its $2.91 billion purchase of Google’s Motorola mobile phone business and around 2,000 related patents. But like any major acquisition, this one has …

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Best Buy to give mobile phone buyers a $50 gift card

Best Buy is dangling a new promotion to lure in mobile phone buyers. From Sunday, February 2, through Saturday, February 15, anyone who signs up to buy a new mobile phone will receive a $50 gift card. The terms seem a bit tricky at first glance, but here’s how it all works: You first register your mobile phone number and …

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Will Lenovo kill the low

Mobile bargain hunters throughout the US gasped earlier this week when they heard the news that Chinese PC-maker Lenovo plans to buy the handset division of Motorola from Google for $2.9 billion. When the Google-controlled Motorola lowered the price of the Moto X last year and then introduced the sub-$200 Moto G, I wondered if these products and the prices …

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What is 4K UHD? Next

As if 3D TV and LED LCD vs. OLED vs. plasma and 120Hz and the Soap Opera Effect weren’t confusing enough, in the last year we have seen the rise of a new HDTV technology called 4K. Or if you use its official name, Ultra High Definition (UHD). UHD is an “umbrella term” that encompasses higher resolutions (more pixels) than …

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How to switch to energy

Related stories: 4 things you can do with your old game consoles Use your mobile device with the Xbox One and PS4 How to set up parental controls on the Xbox One Powering on the Xbox One by voice command is a pretty cool feature, though you might feel a little silly doing so at first. Responding to the “Xbox …

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Five steps for a better

TV factory settings are generally designed to look good in bright, fluorescent retail stores — not your living room. To get the best TV picture, you’ll need to make some adjustments. This guide begins with some of the simpler (but impactful) settings — like disabling unnecessary features and adjusting basic options — before diving into some of the more in-depth …

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US carrier mergers would face tough time getting DOJ approval

US wireless carriers who have the urge to merge will meet resistance in the form of the Justice Department. In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, William Baer, assistant attorney general in the antitrust division, said that any merger proposals on the part of the major US carriers would encounter intense scrutiny. Baer cited “much more favorable …

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Google’s sale of Motorola seals HTC’s fate

Lenovo’s move to buy Motorola Mobility from Google in a deal valued at $2.91 billion is likely to spur an Android ecosystem consolidation wave because smaller players aren’t going to have the scale to compete. The first casualty in this consolidation wave is likely to be HTC. Related stories Best Phones Under $500 for 2022: Pixel 6A, iPhone SE, Galaxy …

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Lenovo CEO aims for Motorola to dust Apple and Samsung

When Lenovo entered the global PC market by acquiring IBM’s PC business it instantly became a major player with PCs, building on the business-centric ThinkPad with the consumer-facing IdeaPad. Now, the company intends to do the same thing with smartphones. Google unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that it’s selling Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion. While it …

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Apple, the biggest loser in the Google

Things are about to get tougher for Apple. Google late Wednesday made an unexpected announcement that it’s selling Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion, or less than a quarter of what it paid for the handset vendor just a couple of years ago. During the years Google owned it, Motorola lost money and market share, and …

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