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T-Mobile reports customer growth for Q1 2012, tries not to think about Q4 2011

T-Mobile USA took a bit of a hit back in Q4 , following its failed merger with Ma Bell , but things are looking up for the magenta network. It still took a 2.8 percent hit in terms of raw revenues, taking in $5 billion including service and equipment sales, but it’s still proud to report a net growth of 187,000 customers and diminishing reports of customer losses when compared to previous quarters. T-Mobile’s branded net customer loss of 510,000 marks a 28-percent improvement over its 706,000 Q4 loss, and is bolstered by a 13 percent increase in prepaid customers, totaling 249,000. The firm blames its previous quarter contract losses on the widespread availability of the iPhone 4S on its competitors’ networks. It’s also assuring investors that its lauded 4G roll out is still underway, and noted that it has signed agreements with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network to upgrade 37,000 cell sites with LTE hardware over the next two years. The company hopes a brand relaunch (and the availability of handsets like the Galaxy S Blaze 4G , Nokia Lumia 710 , and HTC One S ) will drive customers to the high-speed network as it fills out over 2012 and 2013.

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T-Mobile reports customer growth for Q1 2012, tries not to think about Q4 2011

Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World’s Fair

We got an eyeful of Samsung’s stunning 55-inch OLED HDTV prototypes earlier this year at CES, but now Samsung is surprising the world by showing off its first mass produced ES9500 models at the World’s Fair (which is apparently still a thing?) in Korea. Beyond the Smart Interaction voice and gesture control, Smart Content and Smart Evolution upgradeable dual-core CPU features found in its other high-end HDTVs , Samsung has also built in Smart Dual View technology, which lets users watch two different programs (2D) on one screen at the same time using the set’s 3D glasses. Since each pixel is individually lit, Samsung says its OLED tech has 20 percent better color reproduction than existing LED-backlit LCD HDTVs. There’s still no word on exactly when these will ship and for how much, however with competition on the way from LG , these fresh-off-the-factory-line flat panels are a sign we won’t be waiting long. Other than new display tech, Samsung also took the opportunity to officially announce bigger models on the way in sizes from 60- to 75-inches. Check the galleries below for a few pictures straight from the expo, as well as our shots of the CES display. Gallery: Samsung ES9500 55-inch OLED HDTV Gallery: Samsung 55-inch Super OLED TV eyes-on Continue reading Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World’s Fair Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World’s Fair originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World’s Fair

ZTE V96 hands-on at CTIA 2012

One of ZTE’s latest tablets, the V96, was announced at Barcelona for MWC but never made any official appearances at the show. Fortunately we found the new device hiding in the manufacturer’s booth at CTIA 2012. The Ice Cream Sandwich device runs a Qualcomm 1.7GHz MSM8960 dual-core Krait processor with 1GB of RAM and sports tri-band HSPA+ and quad-band LTE. ZTE mentioned that it is compatible with four LTE bands (!), including AT&T’s flavors — Verizon’s band of next-gen connectivity, unfortunately, was not included on the list. Interestingly enough, we discovered that there was not one but two models being showcased: the first, seen in the video below, has a textured back and is flanked by soft-touch plastic at both ends. Its fraternal twin, however, opted for a smooth aluminum construct on the back. We were torn in which one we liked more — we loved the lighter and more grippy material provided by the first, yet we enjoyed the silver look of the second

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ZTE V96 hands-on at CTIA 2012

Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China

Wireless HiFi maker, Sonos , has just signed a deal with Tencent Holdings to provide the QQ Music service direct via its hardware in China. The holdings firm owns the QQ suite of internet services that boasts a massive user base in the country. QQ Music already exists in an ad-supported form, but the new partnership will break it out directly into audio equipment, and hopefully encourage users over to the premium paid-for version. The consumer preview is available on all Sonos systems if China now via the Sonos controller. A personalized version will follow, later this year. Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the Water Discus Hotel, magnetic LED bulbs and pig poo electricity

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. Man-made islands ; indoor ski slopes ; temporary ice hotels . We thought we had seen it all in Dubai, and then the Middle Eastern city went and outdid itself with the Water Discus Hotel , a hotel that will feature a series of sci-fi styled discs, one of which will be located 21 stories underwater. For those who prefer to stay above water, Antwerp will open one of the world’s largest floating swimming pools this summer. Made from an old ferry boat, Badboot will be 120 meters long and it’ll be part of a larger facility that can host as many as 600 people. And across the point in New York, the One World Trade Center skyscraper was just crowned the tallest building in NYC . Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the Water Discus Hotel, magnetic LED bulbs and pig poo electricity Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the Water Discus Hotel, magnetic LED bulbs and pig poo electricity originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the Water Discus Hotel, magnetic LED bulbs and pig poo electricity

Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012

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 April 30th, 2012 Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 19:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012

Third betas of Adobe Flash 11.3, AIR 3.3 give peeks at low-lag audio and deeper iOS support

Adobe ‘s famous desktop browser plugin may be looking forward to a 2013 overhaul , but that doesn’t mean it isn’t out to improve itself in the here and now. Flash Player’s 11.3 beta, for instance, rolls in low latency audio support through NetStream, designed specifically to cut back audio lag in cloud gaming. The beta also introduces support for complete keyboard control when in full-screen mode, background Flash updating on Macs, and a Protected Mode for Firefox that keeps rogue Flash files from compromising Windows PCs using Vista or later. The AIR 3.3 beta, on the other hand, smooths the runtime’s iOS experience, allowing compiled apps to run in the background more like their natively-compiled siblings. It’s also friendlier to developers, with new USB debugging and simulator support that now doesn’t require a physical device. Android 4.0 users aren’t entirely left out, getting stylus support for AIR apps on their platform. Adobe hasn’t said when the finished versions of Flash 11.3 and AIR 3.3 will reach its servers, but if you’re willing to live life on the bleeding edge, you can find the download links below

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Third betas of Adobe Flash 11.3, AIR 3.3 give peeks at low-lag audio and deeper iOS support

New metal mix could lead to cheap, plentiful sodium-ion batteries in gadgets

Lithium batteries very frequently power our gadgets, but the material itself isn’t common and, by extension, isn’t cheap. Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science aim to solve that through sodium-ion batteries using a new electrode material. By mixing together oxides of iron, manganese and sodium, Shinichi Komaba and team have managed to get a sodium battery’s electrode holding a charge closer to that of a lithium-ion battery while using a much more abundant material. Having just 30 total charges means this simplest form of sodium-ion battery technology could be years away from finding a home in your next smartphone or EV , although it’s not the only option. Argonne National Laboratory ‘s Chris Johnson has co-developed a more exotic vanadium pentoxide electrode that could produce 200 charges while keeping the battery itself made out of an ingredient you more often find in your table salt than your mobile gear. [Image credit: Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements ] New metal mix could lead to cheap, plentiful sodium-ion batteries in gadgets originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Samsung Game Hub, Video Hub hands-on (video)

Sad that Samsung’s rumored S-Cloud didn’t appear on the scene? Well the arrival of the company’s new Video, Game and Music hubs might heal the wounds. Rather than a unified service, the Galaxy S III will have access to three separate stores that will offer an alternative to Google Play . We spent a few minutes having a play, and you can see what it’s like after the break. Gallery: Samsung’s new movie and game hubs hands-on at Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 Continue reading Samsung Game Hub, Video Hub hands-on (video) Samsung Game Hub, Video Hub hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Insert Coin: Hand Stylus for touch devices

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line. Inventive scribbler Steve King — no, not that one — is working his fingers raw trying to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. His project, the colorfully-named Hand Stylus, works with all your capacitive touchscreens, sports a retractable nib that rotates to avoid uneven wear, and even sticks to the magnet on an iPad. While it can’t replace the need for natural digits, it could potentially come in handy while taking notes, sketching, cooking, or experiencing frostbite . Skip down below the break for a video if you need more convincing, or you already lost the one that came with your Galaxy Note . Continue reading Insert Coin: Hand Stylus for touch devices Insert Coin: Hand Stylus for touch devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Insert Coin: Hand Stylus for touch devices

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