Premium text messages prompt complaints, lawsuits

People are finding charges on their mobile phone bills that they say weren't authorized, including mystery text services that appear out of nowhere and charge for content that people believed was free.

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Premium text messages prompt complaints, lawsuits | InSecurity Complex - CNET News

iPhone 5 to have NFC, after all, secure guest login and mobile payment tests in the works

iPhone 5 to have NFC, after all, secure guest login and mobile payment tests in the works - Phone Arena

T Mobile Vibrant

The Samsung Vibrant is one of my favorite android phones across all the networks. And that's saying something right? The size is perfect. 4.3 in screens are a bit too big, so I really appreciate the 4.0 on the vibrant.
the vibrants display is phenomenal. Its one of my favorite attributes. Its a pleasure to watch movies on and view photos. 
The battery life is Pretty decent, and if you can leave it on wifi it'll last even longer.
16gb of internal storage is fantastic, and you even get access to it unlike some Android phones. Kudos for that! I appreciate the design of the battery cover and access. The sim card and micro sd card can both be removed without having to remove the battery.
The charging port and headphone jack are on the top of the phone and the power button is on the upper right side. If you don't use a case it can be kindof slippery when you turn the phone on and off. I would prefer having the power button at the top of the phone.
If you haven't used an android phone before you will probably like the touch wiz interface. If you have used a stock android phone you may not like touch wiz as much.

Can't Decide which Verizon Smartphone to get, this will help

Verizon Droid Bionic vs. iPhone 4 vs. HTC Thunderbolt

Can't decide between the Bionic, Thunderbolt or iPhone. Well this excellent side by side comparison will help you out!

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Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept

When I first heard about Virgin Mobile and their phenomenal talk, text, data package, I was intrigued. Then when I went to their website and found that they offer an Android phone, I was super physched!! I ordered it and waited impatiently.
When it arrived I opened it and carefully took it out. I charged it up. When I tried to activate it, I had trouble, so I called customer support. They seemed to be helpful & got my account set up. I thought my phone had been activated, and they said I should get a text message in an hour or so. Well, the hour came and went. Didn't get it. I should stop here and explain that I apparently get poor Virgin(Sprint) coverage at my house. Thus, I will review both the network and the phone semi separately.
As for the network first, I got 1-2 bars outside my house, and usually none inside. Keep in mind, I live in the city, not the country. I even drove around with the phone to try and get good coverage so I could activate the phone. I drove on a 2 mile stretch of road and got absolutely no coverage! Come on sprint. I found a 5 bar area and tried activating the phone again, but it failed. So as for the Virgin Coverage review, they get a failing grade.
Now, network aside, since that didn't work, let's talk about the phone itself. It runs Android 2.1 OS. It has both a slider keyboard and onscreen keyboard, both vertical and landscape mode. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is common now, but still greatly appreciated. It comes with a 2GB micro SD card, but you can of course ad a bigger one. I am a huge user of google, especially google voice. Unfortunately I was unable to try the android integration between the phones phone and google voice.
The app store didn't seem quite as good as the iPhone app store, but I didn't do an extensive search. I did download about 15 apps I use on my iPhone. I did like being able to get free ring tone apps and download them directly to the android phone.
The mp3 player was very acceptable, the best I’ve seen on a cell phone. It's not as good as the iPhone, but the iPhone is built around an iPod and more readily designed for such use. The android does do album artwork and have repeat/shuffle options. I didn't find that it allows for changing songs without unlocking it like the iPhone, so it is a bit slower and more inconvenient, you have to slide to unlock the phone and then change your song.
The whole system was slow and sluggish. This is probably the phones fault and not Androids. This phone is an entry level phone and isn't as fast as others.
The screen resolution is low and I found it to be grainy especially when reading text. When viewing photos or videos its slightly blurry.
The screen is a bit small, especially if you plan to view documents on it frequently.
This phone has been available to sprint customers so there are already lots of accessories for this phone which is a huge plus.

Buy it if:
You have good sprint coverage in your area, and if you can handle the phones sluggishness.

Don't buy it if:
You need a fast phone and cant wait for things to load.

Buy it here

AT&T Capping 4G Android Upload Speeds, iPhone 4 Still Faster with 3G

AT&T Capping 4G Android Upload Speeds, iPhone 4 Still Faster with 3G | Android Phone Fans

Did you know you can suspend your cell phone service without loosing your number or rate plan?

Read full article: How to ease into Google Voice: Freeze your cell phone service | Dialed In - CNET Blogs

Droid X2

In a leak we are told that the Droid X2 will be available this week. But will it be much different? Well, now you only get a 2Gb memory card instead of the 16gb that it originally came with.
A few other minor upgrades for the X2, but nothing to become excited about. Seems like a low key release.
Ill still wait for the HTC Thunderbolt or Motorola Bionic.
Read full article: Droid X2 Is Looking A Lot Like The Droid X – Available "This Week?" | Android News, Reviews, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets, Tips, Mods, Videos, Tutorials - Android Police

T Mobile and Sprint to merge?

Deutsche Telekom is considering selling its T-Mobile USA subsidiary to Sprint Nextel. A deal is nowhere near definite, sources told Bloomberg, but the two companies are debating a valuation for the country's fourth-largest carrier. Read more:
On Call: A bridge for T-Mobile and Sprint | Dialed In - CNET Blogs

Apple giving $100 refund on recent iPad purchases

Is apple really doing the right thing, or are they just trying to keep customers happy with their now "Outdated" iPad 1st Gen?

Apple giving $100 refund on recent iPad purchases | The Digital Home - CNET News

Galaxy Indulge microSDHC card regularly reports back to MetroPCS (but, you get Iron Man 2 for free!)

Galaxy Indulge microSDHC card regularly reports back to MetroPCS (but hey, you get Iron Man 2 for free!) -- Engadget

Which 4G Android Phone is Best? [4G Wars]

Its a close decision between the Att Atrix & Verizon Bionic. The Atrix out specs the Bionic by a hair, but Verizon has a more reliable network.
The Atrix is availble now, but you'll have to wait a little longer for the Bionic.

Which 4G Android Phone is Best? [4G Wars] | Android Phone Fans

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.3 Gingerbread update leaked

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.3 Gingerbread update leaked | Crave - CNET

Verizon to phase out Unlimited data plans

So I guess iPhone users take up more data than even Android users? Is that the case? I hope that iPhone users aren’t to blame.
Where are those of us that are heavy data users going to go for unlimited data when this is implemented? Sprint? Well for me, I don't get sprint coverage at my house! The best option for me is going to be signing a new Verizon contract before this happens.

Please tell us in the comments section, how much data you use a month. Will this tiered data plan affect you?

Read more: Technologizer