Speaking at a J.P. Morgan Conference, Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo revealed that the carrier plans to transition its grandfathered customers off their unlimited data plans, says a report in Fierce Wireless. Shammo confirmed that, starting this summer, customers moving from a 3G phone with an unlimited plan to a 4G handset will be required to drop the unlimited plan and sign up for a shared family data plan.

According to the report, Verizon will only offer a shared family data plan for its 4G customers. These plans include one bucket of data which is shared among multiple devices. This change will affect customers upgrading phones, but the report did not say what would happen to current 4G customers on an unlimited plan or unlimited 3G customers who don't want to upgrade.

[Via GigaOM]

Verizon Wireless to transition grandfathered customers from unlimited data plans originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worried that Samsung is too busy selling millions of devices to care about you, the individual consumer? Fear not, for the company has released an app to prove its unconditional dedication to your happiness, and it's appropriately called Samsung Cares. The program serves as a hub for online support, offering how-to videos, troubleshooting guides, FAQs and service ticket tracking. Oh, and for those who don't own a Samsung device but still want the sweet reassurance of the company's interest in your well-being (or perhaps you just use other products made by Sammy), the free app can be downloaded on any phone or tablet running Android 2.1 or higher. Head to the source to grab a copy for yourself.

Samsung launches customer service app on Android as proof that it Cares originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TalkAndroid  |  sourcePlay Store  | Email this | Comments
 

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.

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A crawling robot that, at the touch of a button, curls up into a wheel and rolls away sounds a bit Robots in Disguise, doesn't it? Still, that's what roboticist Toby Baumgartner needs your cold, hard cash to build. Troller 1D is the first prototype of the modular automaton that uses a series of servos to take it anywhere it needs to go -- but it's not ready yet. The project needs $2,600 to get better servos and add some WiFi and Accelerometer features that'll get the 'bot rolling without any assistance. Once perfected, you'll be able to buy a kit with everything you need to build your own and terrify the local wildlife / your children.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Troller 1D, the transforming robot that won't ruin your garden

Insert Coin: Troller 1D, the transforming robot that won't ruin your garden originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been thinking of stepping up from your feature phone to a Android smartphone on Verizon’s 4G network, you currently have 4 sub $100 phones to choose from. There’s the Samsung Stratosphere for $99.99, LG Lucid for $79.99, Pantech Breakout for $29.99 and Droid Charge for Free. Why should you consider paying $79.99 for the Lucid when there are two less expensive choices? Here are a few reasons:

  • 4-inch 480 x 800 resolution nova display that is readable in bright sunlight
  • Gesture applications so you don’t have to use the delete/cursor –you tap the side of the phone instead; also turn it upside down to stop the incoming ring
  • 350 minutes of talk time on the battery/lower battery drain
  • Camera captures 1080p video – The others only capture at 480p or 720p
  • 1.2Ghz dual core processor – The others have 1Ghz
  • 8GB internal memory – The others have 1 – 4GB

I got a chance to spend a little time with this phone and found it to be more than capable in a nice sized form factor that is not much bigger than an iPhone. For an inexpensive phone, I was impressed with the LG Lucid.

Filed in categories: Android related, News

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LG Lucid – Verizon’s Entry Level 4G Smartphone with Higher End Features originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2012 at 8:00 am.


 

NHK makes first successful Super Hi-Vision OTA broadcast, man cave owners giggle with gleeFresh off from successfully shrinking its Super Hi-Vision camera, Japan's NHK is sticking another feather in its cap -- the first over-the-air broadcast of its super-duper high-resolution technology. The broadcaster says it recently managed to send a compressed Super Hi-Vision signal from the roof of its Science and Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo to a distance about 4.2 kilometers away with no issues. NHK used two UHF channels during the experiment. To optimize and boost transmission capacity, NHK leveraged technologies such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). Low-density parity check coding was also used for error correction. NHK has been constantly experimenting with its Super Hi-Vision high-resolution (7,680 x 4,320) video format, including a UK-to-Japan broadcast via a 24Gb/s internet connection in 2010. Folks who happen to be in Japan from May 24th to 27th can check the tech at the NHK labs' open house in Tokyo's Setagaya ward.

NHK makes first successful Super Hi-Vision OTA broadcast, man cave owners giggle with glee originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 07:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AV Watch (Japanese)  |  sourceNHK (Japanese)  | Email this | Comments
 

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A perpetual weakness of MAVs (micro air vehicles) is their frequent need for hand-holding in anything other than a wide-open or very controlled space. If they're not using GPS or motion sensors to find their locations, they can't turn on a dime the way a human pilot would. Adam Bry, Abraham Bachrash and Nicholas Roy from MIT's CSAIL group haven't overcome every problem just yet, but they may have taken combat drones and other pilotless aircraft a big step forward by giving them the tools needed to fly quickly when positioning isn't an option. Uniting a laser rangefinder with an existing 3D map of the environment -- still 'cheating,' but less dependent -- lets the prototype flyer find the distance to nearby obstacles and steer clear even at speeds that would scare any mere mortal MAV. Ideally, future designs that can create their own maps will be completely independent of humans, making us think that MIT's references to "aggressive" autonomous flight are really cues to start hiding under the bed.

Continue reading Laser-toting MAV can find its way in tight spaces, might eventually hunt you down (video)

Laser-toting MAV can find its way in tight spaces, might eventually hunt you down (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IEEE Spectrum  |  sourceCSAIL  | Email this | Comments
 

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Two balls, one hand? In this case, that's a definite yes, although the end result is much more appropriate for all ages. Furthering our slow creep towards engineering's Uncanny Valley, comes a cybernetic effort out of Japan's Chiba University that's made to mock our most precious clown-past time: juggling. The one-armed, three-fingered robot, shown off at the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, utilizes a high-speed camera to track a ball's flight at 500fps and help coordinate its repetitive movements with eerie precision. The current setup's not without hitches, though, considering the bot's fixed shoulder joint can only carry out successful catches on a 2D plane before, quite literally, dropping the ball. Refinements are apparently on the way to expand the cyborg limb's range of motion which, of course, will only serve to defeat us in the end. Robot apocalypse, we're looking at you.

Continue reading Chiba University's one-armed robot juggles balls, is not a Juggalo (video)

Chiba University's one-armed robot juggles balls, is not a Juggalo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam remote downloads

That was quick. Just two weeks after Valve posted a new Steam beta that allows remote game downloads, it now has a truly polished release for everyone. Both Mac and Windows gamers can now queue up demos and full games, whether it's from a browser at work or from the Steam mobile app. Appropriately, Valve will let you reinstall games as well as start downloading a purchase as soon as the credit card clears. Either way, it'll guaranteed that your new copy of Bastion or that attempt to relive your Quake nostalgia will be ready when you get home.

Steam remote downloads exit beta, make impatience an option for everyone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 05:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Arduino gets super-sized ahead of Maker Faire

This is Make's John Edgar Park, manfully clutching his Arduino Grande. The oversized device isn't just for show though, it's a fully working unit for those projects where a standard sized PCB just won't do. He'll be taking excited modders though the process of building it at Maker Faire on Saturday, just head over to the demo stage at 5:30pm with your pre-written Super Size Me jokes close to hand.

Visualized: Arduino gets super-sized ahead of Maker Faire originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Adafruit  |  sourceJohn Edgar Park (Flickr)  | Email this | Comments
 

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Let's say you liked adding GPS to your Nintendo DS. How about adding a Nintendo DS to your GPS? Toyota is trying just that through a new Smart Navi GPS unit in its Estima Hybrid minivan that will let passengers control the mapping system. Load up the Bluetooth-equipped Kuruma de DS cartridge and you can enter directions from the back seat instead of waiting for the driver's next chance at a red light. The automaker is also hoping to cut the "are we there yet?" levels of ennui to a minimum by providing trivia questions, hand-drawn map notes and a surfeit of tourist info. Mii characters speak out text information, and you can even use the car as a speaker system in the event your Starfox game needs that much more audio immersion. Estima buyers can get the new Smart Navi and Kuruma de DS in Japan on June 1st, although the $2,586 equivalent price for the GPS, the $92 cartridge and the cost of the Nintendo console itself might be too rich when you don't need a navigator to tell you that the princess is in another castle.

Toyota turns to Nintendo DS as in-car GPS remote, won't guide you to Princess Peach originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kotaku  |  source4Gamer.net (translated)  | Email this | Comments
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