| Sprint raising $2 billion, may throw some dough Clearwire's way Feb 28th 2012, 14:45 Sprint is looking to sell $2 billion in notes to raise cash, a large chunk of that likely earmarked for network upgrades. The money will come in handy too, as making the leap from WiMAX to LTE won't be cheap. Then, there's its partner Clearwire. After Sprint's board shot down a quest to snatch up MetroPCS, the carrier is even more reliant on the former WiMAX champion -- a company that just saw Google announce plans to dump its shares at a $450 million loss. According to Bloomberg, Sprint may take some of the $2 billion it plans to raise and use it to prop up Clear, which is making the transition to TD-LTE. At this point, we're beginning to think the carrier's cash infusions are the only thing keeping the wireless wholesaler going. Sprint raising $2 billion, may throw some dough Clearwire's way originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | | Huawei Ascend G 300 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video) Feb 28th 2012, 13:52  Huawei's all about the D Quad at this year's Mobile World Congress, but that's not everything in the manufacturer's arsenal. Having seen the first devices from its D (Diamond) and P (Platinum) series, we've been wondering how the third-tier G (Gold) handsets would turn out. Huawei's booth holds the answer to our lingering question in the form of the Ascend G 300, a predictably lower- to mid-range smartphone packing a 1GHz single-core CPU, 4-inch WVGA display, 5MP rear camera along with other modest specs. While it's clear that Huawei's major focus is on bumping up its specs and becoming a major player in relevance and performance, we've only seen that strategy reflected on its top two tiers. The G 300, in contrast, doesn't feel any different in build quality than its older budget-conscious cousins; it employs the company's signature gray / white (or gray / black) look on the back. The edges and sides of the device are slightly different, varying by its color: the versions in black are soft-touch plastic, while its white counterpart is completely smooth, much like the rest of the phone. The battery cover felt rather flimsy, and one unit on hand looked as though it were coming apart, the cracks far too distanced for our comfort. The OS on hand is Android 2.3, accompanied with the usual MWC promise of being "upgradeable to ICS," and uses the same homegrown skin we saw a couple months ago on the Huawei Honor. Of course, this one will likely hit at a low price point, so don't be tempted to compare this particular handset with some of the vendor's more premier options. It's not going to be as polished, but it's not meant to be. So while the 10.5mm-thick device will be perfectly reasonable for many, power users won't be waiting in line for this one to come out at a yet to be determined time. Still curious? Keep scanning your eyes below to find the gallery and movie. Dana Wollman contributed to this hands-on. Continue reading Huawei Ascend G 300 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video) Huawei Ascend G 300 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Mozilla Boot to Gecko hands-on (video) Feb 28th 2012, 13:22 Here it is, folks: Mozilla's assault on the smartphone. Known as Boot to Gecko, the OS is geared toward hobbyists and consumers alike. Mozilla tells us that all Android users (with unlocked bootloaders) will be able to install the operating system onto their phones, and for less tenacious individuals, the non-profit group has begun lining up partners. We were given a quick demo of Boot to Gecko on a Galaxy S II, which included peeks at the dialer, messaging system, system preferences and, yes, the Mozilla Marketplace. Our initial impression? Boot to Gecko doesn't seem quite ready for prime time, as the operating system froze as we merely tapped through the settings and apps, which then required us to pull the battery. On the upside, the interface seems incredibly slick and the phone booted astonishingly fast -- it was good to go in about two seconds. Be sure to hop the break for the demo video of Boot to Gecko. Continue reading Mozilla Boot to Gecko hands-on (video) Mozilla Boot to Gecko hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Facebook to simplify in-app payments with streamlined carrier billing Feb 28th 2012, 13:11  Need another watering can to irrigate those crops on your highly-profitable Facebook farm? Soon you may be able to boot that expense directly to your monthly mobile tab, just as you do with other necessities, like ringtones and emoticons. The social networking site is working with carriers to streamline billing, eventually enabling Facebook users to pay their app dues along with their monthly phone bill. Naturally, this is a win for developers, since eliminating the need to pre-purchase Credits or enter card information will result in an increased number of impulse purchases -- and let's face it, there's no line item for FarmVille in the monthly budget. Quite a few carriers appear to be on board -- AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the U.S.; Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone in Europe; and KDDI and Softbank in Japan -- so it looks like devs should have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The service will be automatically activated once providers support it, enabling easier purchases for "hundreds of millions of people worldwide." Streamlined carrier billing is but one recent development, so hit up the source link for the full rundown.
Facebook to simplify in-app payments with streamlined carrier billing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Facebook | Email this | Comments | |
