Verizon details Share Everything Plans – throws in free hotspots

12/06/2012 by androidcommunity.com

Well guys, here they are. We knew they were coming but today the folks from Verizon Wireless have made it official. Announcing their new Share Everything plans with family and device-wide shared data options. First they took away unlimited data, and now they’ll be bumping up the price for most — although I’m sure some users will benefit from the changes. Read on below for full details on how your family can share a single line and data plan.

Verizon will be launching their brand new Share Everything Plans starting June 28th, and along with it the unlimited data option will disappear. It will be replaced by data plans that you can share with additional devices, but starts at 1GB for $50 — not cheap. One benefit here is all their plans will be moving to unlimited calls and texts, and the only limits will be placed on data usage. The other benefit here is you can share your plan with up to 10 additional devices (all for another fee sadly) and if you add a smartphone to the plan you get the hotspot feature for free — which also counts towards your data limit. Here’s the breakdown although you might be confused at first:

Essentially what you do is pick a data plan, starting at 1GB for $50 all the way to 10GB for $100 but I think 4GB for $70 is probably the (dare I say it) best deal. Then you chose what devices you have and add them in. So if you have two smartphones like the DROID RAZR or Galaxy Nexus, that is $40 each, then $70 to share 4GB data with both phones for a grand total of $150 per month. That gets you 4GB of data total, and unlimited everything else. If you want to add a tablet to that 4GB limit that will be an additional $10 a month. It all adds up quickly but for a medium sized family this could be a decent deal.

For me personally nothing on that list will match what I have now, but then I don’t have a family with 4 devices like many do. Verizon has also killed the unlimited data option all together, and from here on out the highest they’ll be offering is 10GB for $100, but you can add an additional 2GB for another $10 monthly. Is anyone confused yet? You can use up to 10 devices on any data plan, but each additional device is another fee, so that is where it racks up quickly. Here’s a quick video:

So what does everyone think? Are these deals worth it for couples or a family? For single device/line users It doesn’t look too great if you ask me, but then we do get unlimited calls and texts now. Drop us your thoughts below.

Verizon unveils Share Everything plans, available June 28th

12/06/2012 by androidandme.com

Shared data plans will soon be a reality, if you happen to be a Verizon Wireless customer. Verizon has finally officially unveiled their shared data plans, set for a June 28th availability date. Verizon’s new Share Everything plans will give each plan an unlimited amount of data and texts, with fees increasing with the amount of data you need to get through the month. When pricing a data plan, customers will be presented with the following two-step process:

Step 1: Select 1 smartphone and up to 9 other devices

Step 2: Select the amount of data you need

Once you’ve made selections, simply add your fees together to come up with your monthly bill. For example, a two smartphone plus one tablet plan at 4GB of monthly data would be $160 per month ($40 for each smartphone, $10 for the tablet, and $70 for 4GB of shared data). All smartphones and tablets on the plan will feature the hotspot functionality at no additional charge, so long as you stay below your allotted data threshold.

The resulting prices are generally less than they would be under the current plan structure, generally falling around $10-20 per month cheaper, though the savings are potentially much greater on the high end. A plan with 5 smartphones would be about $340 per month in the old world, and comes in at around $300 for 10GB of data, or a bit less if you need less data.

I for one am looking forward to shared data plans, as they have the potential to save customers lots of money on their monthly bills. With AT&T and other carriers rumored to be working on plans of their own, shared data is likely here to stay.

Catch Phil tonight on TWIT's All About Android!

19/03/2012 by androidcentral.com/feed

Just a quick heads up that our fearless leader Phil will be on TWIT's All About Android show tonight at midnight GMT, 8 p.m. EDT and 5 p.m. PDT. He'll be joining Jason Howell, Eileen Rivera and Ron Richards for the latest in Android news, apps and whatever else ends up breaking before the show begins. Hit the link below to watch it live!

More: All About Android

HTC’s Big Revelation in MWC: One Series Smartphones

28/02/2012 by thisandroidlife.com

In its bid for supremacy in the mobile market, HTC, Taiwan’s most aggressive device manufacturer, just announced that the company is declaring an all out campaign to the effect that they are coming up with a string of launches for their upcoming smartphones.

The HTC One Series will be giving prominence to an “Amazing Camera” and “Authentic Sound” experience. To commence this April, HTC One Series will be propagated like a viral trend as HTC already identified over 140 mobile operators and retailers all across the globe.

Highlighting premium features on the One Series, Peter Chou, HTC Corporation’s CEO gladly explained the company’s goal, “The best moments in life are captured with a photo or remembered by a song, so it was key for the HTC One series to improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience.” He added, “We are very focused on creating a camera and audio experience customers will love and use often and we believe the HTC One series delivers this in a way never seen on a phone before.”

As a premium product, all smartphones under the HTC One Series will be integrated with the latest Android Operating System, the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 along with HTC Sense 4. The latter is likewise the most recent version of the Sense UI and this time, HTC ImageSense is one of its new key element  which features fresh camera and imaging suites.

For the Camera, HTC spelled out the following attributes that make every One Series Smartphone stand out:

To make the One Series Sound more distinctive, HTC collaborated with Beats By Dr. DreAudio™ so its users will enjoy listening to crisp and rich sounds. Other additional perks include the new Music Hub and Car Stero Clip (sold separately).

Initially, HTC will be launching three handsets, namely:

HTC One X - with a spectacular 4.7 inch screen and made of unibody metal with a piano finish. Loaded with NVIDIA® Tegra 3 Mobile Processor that includes 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core with an integrated fifth Battery Saver Core and a high-performance 12-Core NVIDIA® GPU. In select 4G LTE markets, the HTC One X will be featuring LTE-enabled Qualcomm Snapdragon S4™ processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s.

HTC One S – positioned as the compact high-end smartphone. Comes with 4.3 inch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass and its body is made from an ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal surface that is the result of a microarc oxidation (MAO) process. It’s HTC’s thinnest phone so far, measuring only a very slim 7.9-mm.

HTC One V - the simplest model using HTC Legend’s design in an aluminum unibody.

Here are some teaser videos of the three new smartphones from HTC.

Best Free Android Apps for May 2011

21/05/2011 by simplydroid.com

It is becoming harder each month to choose the best free android apps to download.  There are thousands of Android apps available across multiple types of app stores.  Of course there are a ton of apps that are a waste but there are also quite a few gems.    Below you will find the top 3 Android apps for the May 2011 and a download link so you can try them for yourself.

1. Linkedin for Android – Download

If you’re not ‘Linkedin’ yet then you are missing out.  Linkedin is the professional  social network that connects millions of job seekers to new opportunities.  It also allows you to connect with fellow co-workers, get recommendations and join professional groups.  The Linkedin Android app allows you to explore your network on the go.  You can get updates from your connections and  view important messages from contacts.  The next time you roll into an interview you will be prepared with the Linkedin Android app.

2. Netflix for Android – Download

Netflix finally made it’s way to Android devices with an awesome new app.  You can now get Netflix movies three ways, by mail, streamed to your T.V. and now straight to your phone.  Download this and you will be able to watch movies and television shows right on your Android phone.  There is no extra charge as it’s part of the Netflix unlimited  membership.  You can also start a Netflix show or movie from your phone and then finish it from your T.V. right where you left off.  The Netflix for Android app is not available yet for all Android models but will be shortly.

3. WebMD for Android – Download

Do you want 24/7 access to health information while on the go?  Well WebMD for Android delivers just that as you can access an abundance of health information no matter where you are.  Some of the go-to features are the WebMD symptom checker, pill identification tool and local health listings.  The symptom checker is our favorite as it lets you select a part of the body where you are having symptoms to then find out what may be the problem.