TextNow launches IP-based mobile phone service starting at $19 per month

Posted on 06/08/2013 by Mariella Moon

Some people are afraid of commitment, and that includes vowing to stick with a carrier for two years. Thankfully, the list of choices keeps on growing for those who'd rather use contract-free devices, and the new TextNow mobile phone service is a fresh option. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it began its life as a standalone app for making free calls and sending texts via WiFi. Staying true to its roots, the new service piggybacks on Sprint's 3G and 4G network for an internet connection in the absence of WiFi, so you can use a TextNow-powered Android phone wherever the carrier has coverage. Yes, that's wireless phone service over IP, and the outfit claims it's the world's first all-IP mobile operator. Device choices are limited to a Nexus S for $90 and a Galaxy S II for $120, but as plans begin at $19 per month, it might still be worth checking out, especially if you're on a budget.

Filed under: Cellphones

Comments

Source: TextNow

CyanogenMod 10.1 Milestone 1 hits Nexus and Samsung devices

Posted on 22/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Despite all the nightly builds of CyanogenMod 10.1, there hasn't been much of anything definitive to hang our hats on. There's at last some sense of reliability now that Milestone 1 versions have hit the servers. Most Nexus devices, as well as swaths of Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab 2 ranges, can get the unofficial Android 4.2 build for themselves. The M1 code is deemed "mostly stable" and good enough for daily use, although that's relative -- it's not yet to the level of a fully stable build, let alone factory firmware. If you only needed fewer risks than before, though, the downloads and details await at the source links.

[Thanks, Rashid]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Google

Comments

Via: DonAndroid

Source: CyanogenMod (1), (2)

Kindle Fire HD 8.9 ROM lets Nexus S spin right ’round Amazon’s carousel

Posted on 04/12/2012 by Joseph Volpe

Sometimes you hack for the heck of it. And for xda member GalaxyUser, that "just because" mission statement was enough to warrant a port of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 experience to the Nexus S. Yes, you read that right. This ROM was made for that Gingerbread flagship of yore, not Google's more appropriately sized 7-inch tablet. So although the carousel UI seems to boot just fine, allowing access to Amazon's apps, WiFi and the accelerometer, there's not much that's workable on the phone side of things (i.e., calls, camera, Bluetooth and sound, amongst others). Needless to say, you shouldn't attempt this without a firm grasp on the ins and outs of rooting, nor is the ROM a wise choice for a daily driver. But as a mere dalliance with the flashdance that is Android, you can't go wrong.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung, Google, Amazon

Comments

Via: PocketNow

Source: xda developers

Phoenix project reincarnates WebOS as Nexus S app

Posted on 28/11/2012 by Steve Dent

After its untimely demise, WebOS showed some resilience by coming back in open source form and popping up in various devices hither and yon. On the vanguard of that resurrection is Phoenix International Communications, a team of volunteers who've managed to port the orphaned OS to a Samsung Nexus S device, running as an app inside Android. So far, the reborn OS app is displaying decidedly zombie-like slowness, but it's still an early pre-alpha build. If all goes well, you might one day be able to seamlessly switch between WebOS and Android without rebooting, letting you run apps from both systems. So, if you've been carrying a torch for the fallen system, check the video after the break.

Continue reading Phoenix project reincarnates WebOS as Nexus S app

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Comments

Via: Liliputing

Source: Phoenix (YouTube)

Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012

Posted on 12/11/2012 by Zachary Lutz

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute

Posted on 27/10/2012 by Brian Heater

How was your week? We got to spend a couple of days trekking around the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh, PA to check out some of the latest projects from the school's world renowned Robotics Institute -- a trip that culminated with the bi-annual induction ceremony from the CMU-sponsored Robot Hall of Fame. Given all the craziness of the past seven days, you might have missed some of the awesomeness, but fear not, we've got it all for you here in one handy place -- plus a couple of videos from the trip that we haven't shown you yet. Join us after the break to catch up.

Continue reading Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute

Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple patents covering design, touch

Posted on 24/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

The back and forth continues. US International Trade Commission Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender has made an initial ruling that some Samsung's devices violate four Apple patents, including one iPhone design patent (the one you see above) and three software patents. Apple didn't manage a clean sweep, as Samsung was cleared of treading on two more patents, but the verdict still carries the all-too-familiar potential for a trade ban if the ITC maintains the findings in its final review. It's bleak news for the Korean company, which faced an initial loss to Apple at the ITC just last month -- even though large swaths of the mostly Android-based Galaxy phones and tablets in the dispute have long since left the market, an upheld verdict gives Samsung one less bargaining chip in a protracted legal war.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Samsung

ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple patents covering design, touch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Bloomberg News | source

ITC (PDF) | Email this | Comments

Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video)

Posted on 24/10/2012 by Brian Heater

Here's another extremely cool offshoot of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. Platypus LLC build autonomous robotic airboats that can be deployed for a wide range of usages including environmental data and monitoring hard-to-reach spots after natural disasters like flooding. The hull of the boat looks a good deal like a boogie board, built from polyurethane. On top, you'll find a propulsion fan assembly, just behind a hard plastic electronics compartment that houses internals like the Arduino board. That microcontroller communicates via Bluetooth with a smartphone that sits in the front of of the boat, safely cocooned inside an Otterbox case.

The models we saw this week were carrying Nexus S handsets -- relatively cheap solutions bought second-hand off of eBay. Just about any Android phone should do the trick, but in the case of this project, where phones can get wrenched loose or just outright pilfered, cheaper is certainly better. Platypus' proprietary app helps control the boat autonomously, using the handset's camera to provide situational awareness. Sensors mounted on the boat, meanwhile, offer up information on oxygen and PH levels, temperature and more.

Gallery: Platypus Android handset-powered airboats eyes-on

Continue reading Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Science

Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Platypus | Email this | Comments

Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 4.1.2 over the air

Posted on 15/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

When Android 4.1.2 hit the airwaves for upgrades, it was limited to a very exclusive club of Nexus 7 owners. Google has widened the gates considerably as of today: we're receiving multiple reports of GSM-based Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S owners getting the new Jelly Bean build through official, over-the-air channels. Upgrades here aren't as noticeable as they are on the reference Android tablet; besides fixes, we've mostly heard that it's now possible to expand a notification with a single finger. Those with CDMA-based phones are left out so far, but if you discover any surprise extras before 4.1.2 hits our own devices, be sure to leave us a tip.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 4.1.2 over the air originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments