January, 2013

• 21 January

  NFC: Not just for mobile payments anymore

  

  Move over, mobile payments. NFC is finding other ways to make itself useful. In fact, paying for items with one’s phone seems to be the least common use for the close-range connectivity technology right now, at least based on gadgets unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. Rather, essentially all products using NFC shown at the …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Vodafone starts per

  

  The telco has dropped its per-megabyte charge in favour of a per-kilobyte data charge for all prepaid services. (Credit: Vodafone) Before Christmas, Vodafone surveyed 10,000 customers regarding a move to simplify its prepaid services to a per-megabyte charging structure. According to Vodafone, the feedback received suggested that customers preferred simplicity, but had concerns over the megabyte pricing. Yesterday, Vodafone announced …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Samsung Galaxy Fonblet 5.8 has two SIMs, one silly name

  

  What do you call a gadget that’s sort of a phone and sort of a tablet? If it’s a rumoured 5.8-inch dual-SIM smart phone you call it the Samsung Galaxy Fonblet 5.8, apparently. SamMobile claims the Fonblet 5.8 will have a 960×540 AMOLED screen and the latest Android Jelly Bean software on board. A white version is reported to be …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini NFC edition out in the UK this month

  

  A fresh version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is out in the UK this month, adding NFC technology for those who enjoy slapping their phones together to transfer files. If you’re poised to purchase Samsung’s current S3 Mini, you might want to hold off for a few weeks, as the new edition promises to be almost exactly the same …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Sharp launches Australia’s largest LCD TV

  

  The 90-inch LED 3DTV will be available from late this month for the premium price of AU$20,999. The Sharp LC-90LE740X. (Credit: Sharp) While we wait to see when — or even if — any of the 110-inch TVs shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013 will be made available in Australia, Sharp has jumped in with its LC-90LE740X. The …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  CES wrap up: OLED and Ultra HD in Australia

  

  Each year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) exhibitors display any number of exciting products and services, all of which set the media world a-buzz. The truth is, however, that much of it either take a lot of time getting to Australia or never even arrive. While LG had smaller-sized Ultra HD sets, it’s unclear if they’ll come to Australia. (Credit: …

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Sky Go Extra saves movies on your iPad to watch on the go

  

  The latest blockbusters are coming to your phone or tablet, as Sky lets you save movies and TV and watch them wherever you are, without Wi-Fi. Sky is launching Sky Go Extra, an expansion of the Sky Go catch-up and on-demand service for Sky customers, the Telegraph reports. That means you can save new episodes of Girls, blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – …

  Read More »
• 18 January

  LG Optimus G Pro details leak online

  

  A newer and beefier version of LG’s Optimus G could be coming to town, at least to someone’s town. A leaked slide sent to blog site Engadget teased a host of alleged details about the Optimus G Pro. If the slide is on the money, the new smartphone would sport a 5-inch 1,920×1,080 pixel display and tap into a 1.7GHz …

  Read More »
• 18 January

  Unlimited Verizon data customers beware: Make sure your next phone is 4G

  

  Some Verizon Wireless subscribers will do almost anything to keep their unlimited data plans. And that includes buying a new device at full price instead of signing a two-year contract and taking a sweet subsidy on that new phone. But what happens when a Verizon subscriber who bought a 3G iPhone realizes she may still see her unlimited data service …

  Read More »
• 18 January

  Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Tab 2 tablets get Android 4.1 update, new features

  

  Writing gets better with the latest Android update. Josh Miller/CNET Today Samsung announced that its Galaxy Tab 2 tablets and Galaxy Note 10.1 would receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates. Samsung, rather than including only cosmetic or back-end changes that you’ll never actually see, has added a number of useful-sounding (that’s a Youtube video link if you’d rather not read …

  Read More »