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Quick news from around the Web.

@FierceWireless: “@verge: Droid Fighter and LG Lucid 4G release date leaked on Verizon? Article” | Follow@FierceWireless

> Sales of the PlayStation Vita appear to be relatively sluggish. Article

> A U.S. Senator is requesting the Federal Trade Commission to probe into the privacy situation on iOS and Android devices. Article

> C Spire reduced the price of its iPhone 4S to 0 with a service contract. Article

> ZTE hopes to pass Alcatel-Lucent in network equipment sales. Article

> A trade panel said it will review a decision on patent infringement between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility. Article

> HTC released more device APIs, including those for Beats Audio. Article

> A Nokia executive said the company’s PureView camera technology will eventually be ported to its Windows Phone gadgets. Article

> The HTC Titan (also known as the HTC Triumph) is headed to China, becoming that country’s first Windows Phone. Article

Mobile Content News

> Nokia said it will discontinue its Ovi Share service. Post

> Google is reportedly preparing a Siri-style service for Android. Article

> Apple’s App Store has surpassed the 25 billion download benchmark. Article

> Nokia will discontinue its Ovi Share media sharing site on May 31, 2012. Article

Broadband Wireless News

> U.S. mobile networks are bogging down as customer demand for high-end data services mushrooms, according to a semi-annual report from J.D. Power and Associates. Article

> ZTE is now set to deliver infrastructure equipment based on software-defined radio technology to upgrade the operator’s 3G network in Sweden. Article

> Cisco and Alcatel-Lucent have separately announced significant LTE infrastructure developments with operators in the United Arab Emirates. Article

European Wireless News

> The impact of Free Mobile on the French mobile market continues unabated as the owner of SFR, Vivendi’s CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy, slated FT Orange for providing Free Mobile with favorable network sharing terms. Article

> The auto industry is now a focus in wireless M2M. Editor’s Corner

> Telefónica has joined with Spain’s largest publisher Grupo Planeta to expand its e-book content range and to combat Kindle’s success in the fast-growing market. Article

And finally… What’s after Android Jelly Bean? Key Lime Pie, of course. Article

FierceWireless

FCC filings are usually a sure sign of a release date in a month or less.  Now that the over- delayed Droid Bionic documents have been filed with the FCC , there is hope that it will be released soon, maybe on the leaked roadmap release date (September and some features have been confirmed.

The most useful part is the ‘users manual” first drafts and warranty. The touchscreen has a light sensor.  Your touchscreen might stay dark if the sensor just above it is covered. This feature will probably help with battery drain. The Droid Bionic will feature mobile hotspots and tethering.

The diagram shows a 4.3″ touchscreen it also looks like it has the new music/media player found in the Editors’ Choice Motorola Photon 4G.   As previously leaked the Droid Bionic has HDMI mirroring and now features Netflix and induction charging.

The Droid Bionic is a global phone in that it has SIM card that can be activated for world travel. It is not clear it like the Motorola Photon that we reviewed today that can also connect to global 3G/4G data networks.

Here are all the specs found from the Motorola development website that appeared briefly for the Droid Bionic followed by what we learned today.

• 1GHz OMAP4430 dual-core processor.
• 1GB RAM.
• 4.3″ qHD touchscreen.
• 8MP camera.
• HD video recording 1080p.
• VGA front-facing camera.
• HDMI 1.4 video output.
• Android 2.3.4
• Webtop-connectible.
• 4G LTE connectivity.
• ——–
• SIM for gobal roaming.
• Netflix.
• HDMI mirroring.
• Mobile hotspots.

Read all Droid Bionic articles.  Read Motorola Photon review.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

It’s been a long and difficult road for the folks at Dots & Lines, not entirely sure why their Carbon Twitter app for Windows Phone was rejected four times before the good folks of the internet, and the Windows Phone team, kindly stepped up and fixed what was broken.

I had a chance to buy and try the .99 Twitter app and it’s definitely the best one in the Marketplace, at least for now. Between it and Rowi (whose version 2.0 is currently in Release Candidate status, and is coming soon) the Windows Phone Twitter app scene is improving prodigiously.

Carbon recalls its webOS heritage in its feature set but does so with a Metro styling that’s all WP7. With multiple account support, inline picture viewing, a plethora of configurable Live Tiles, including Mention and DM background checks (but no push notifications, alas) and a host of other great features, it’s pretty well-rounded. Push notifications, along with inline video and performance improvements, are coming in version 1.2 next week.

At the moment there is no trial version, but the company’s blog says that will be added in the coming days.

Check out Carbon for Windows Phone in the Marketplace here, and let us know if you like it!

Source: MobileJaw

Related posts:

1. webOS Twitter app Carbon coming to Windows Phone and Android
2. Carbon Twitter client for Windows Phone stalled after fourth app submission attempt fails
3. Vimeo app finally comes to Android, Windows Phone

MobileSyrup.com

Join us tonight as CWA national officers update members on the status of Verizon bargaining.
CWA Union News

Rogers has released the “My Account” app for Windows Phone, with Mango support. Currently they only have the Samsung Focus but hopefully they will be one of the carriers to launch the new Nokia Lumia 800 next year. As for the app, the main features give you the ability to check your usage (Voice, Data and Messaging), account balance, inquire about other Rogers services… the app is free and you can find it by searching “Rogers” in the Windows Marketplace.

(Thanks Roy for the pics!)

Related posts:

1. Rogers “My Account” app goes Android… and Beta for select BlackBerry devices
2. Rogers rolls out My Account app to BlackBerry devices
3. Rogers and Fido launch “My Account” iPhone app

MobileSyrup.com

The HTC Status could be destined to be the back to school status symbol for teens and college students.  The HTC Status has a dedicated Facebook button for posting just about everything to Facebook including status updates, check-ins and photographs.

The HTC Status is a “tween” phone between a feature phone and a full smartphone at a very low price. he best features of it are the constant easy Facebook connections.

Facebook content and information is put into the clock, dialer, calendar, address book and photo gallery. The HTC Status also has a special dedicated widget for Facebook chat

Reviewers of the HTC Status concur that the keyboard is great while most of the older folks thought the landscape-oriented screen required too much scrolling.

The most appealing feature of the HTC Status is that you can operate with only one hand like you do a BlackBerry this feature is something students and teens like to be able to do.

More recent reviews really appreciated the quality of the keyboard that feels great in one-hand and combining of messaging but noted that the HTC Status is not a multimedia powerhouse for viewing video but a decent phone.

AT&T is selling it for .99 while some retail stores are selling it for free with contract.  Amazon Wireless sells the HTC Status for one-cent for both new and renewing customers.

You can also use ourAT&T Coupon-Link  Off AT&T Wireless with Plan
for new customers with a contract.  The offer requires online activation via
att.com/wireless on qualified rate plans of .99 or more with a two-year
agreement.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

The focus on back-to-school is on again, keeping kids safe is top of mind. Results of a recent survey conducted by Safe Kids Canada/FedEx Express Canada of 1,018 Canadian parents who have children aged between 5 to 14 shows that only 28% have “discussed the risks of cell phone use while crossing the street”. Interesting perspective, considering the Police are ticketing distracted drivers who disobey the law and decide to use their handheld device while driving.

The survey also revealed that 34% of parents use their cellphone while crossing the street, but 97% of parents believe it’s not safe for their child to use their cell phone or send texts while crossing the street. 51% of parents admitted that sometimes they exceed the speed limit while driving.

Pamela Fuselli, executive director, Safe Kids Canada said “While we are pleased that parents are taking the time to discuss safe pedestrian habits with their children, additional emphasis needs to be placed on reducing distractions while walking, such as cell phone use… With the school season set to begin, it’s a good time for parents to review with their children their route to school and discuss safe cell phone use.”

Source: CNW

Related posts:

1. Norton survey: Toronto/Mississauga has the highest rate of cell phone loss or theft
2. Windows Phone Marketplace on the verge of crossing the 30,000 app mark
3. In Surrey, BC the city may turn street lights and intersections into mini cell towers. A 1-year pilot project has been proposed that will allow Bell Mobility to install cellular transmission equipment on street lights and signal poles for a fee – earning the city ,000 a year per pole.

MobileSyrup.com

An image captured by Eldar Murtazin is making the rounds across the internet that shows an unreleased HTC Windows Phone sporting at a 12-megapixel camera (4000 x 3000 images) that shows improved camera settings such as RAW format. Having this camera capabilities will step up the megapixel game in mobile phone… hopefully the lens will be on par. No word when this device will be announced.

Source: PocketNow

Related posts:

1. Samsung Creates 8 Megapixel Mobile Phone Camera
2. Rogers to exclusively release the Samsung Focus (Windows Phone 7 device)
3. LG Optimus Quantum hitting SaskTel soon (Windows Phone 7 device)

MobileSyrup.com

TS2R Wireless News for March 3, 2011

AT&T iPhone Mobile Hotspot Coming 3/11 – AT&T spokesman Seth Bloom confirmed that AT&T will offer the mobile hotspot feature in iOS 4.3 for iPhones when released March 11.  It will require the DataPro 4GB/ tethering data plan.

Motorola Invests In Moblyng - Motorola Mobility Ventures has invested in cross-platform, HTML5-based games developer Moblyng.  Moblyng games have been published for Android,
Facebook, iPhone and WebOS and have been downloaded more than 9
million times.

Windows Phone 7 Update for Samsung Rolls Out Again – Microsoft resumed the update of Windows Phone 7 for Samsung smartphones.  The Microsoft engineering team pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing
a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the February
software patch.  Microsoft apologized for the delay.

HTC ThunderBolt News – While no official announcement has been made by Verizon, in-store displays for the ThunderBolt by HTC have been reported.  HTC has aired its own commercial for the HTC ThunderBolt that appeared on YouTube (video follows).  Read the latest HTC ThunderBolt news.

Full wireless news today includes a look at the Motorola Xoom vs the iPad2, new Nielsen smartphone research, and a new postpaid tablet data plan for AT&T with a first month free offer.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

CWA will be hosting a second nationwide phone call at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, March 2.
CWA Union News