Trio of unannounced overseas Motorola handsets includes the Motorola Blade

A trio of unannounced Motorola phones, all with that unique Motorola DROID RAZR look, has been leaked including one high-end model apparently titled the Motorola Blade. This model resembles the recently leaked DROID Fighter and appears to be equipped with a display in the area of 4.5 inches or larger, with room at the bottom for soft keys. The camera on back is listed as being HD although no exact MP figure was mentioned. From the side, this handset is about the same thickness as the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX which means it could have the same sized 3,300mAh battery inside.

Motorola XT760

The mid-range model among the three is the Motorola XT760 and should have a TFT LCD display with qHD resolution and a dual-core 1GHz ST-Ericsson processor under the hood. With Android 2.3 installed, this device should have an 8MP rear camera with AF and weigh 125 grams while measuring 9.88mm thin.

Lastly, the trio's low-end model is the Motorola MT680. Also loaded with Android 2.3, this phone has a TFT LCD screen with WVGA resolution and will have either a dual-core 1GHz processor or a 1.5GHz single-core one. A 5MP camera is on the back and the handset comes in a bit heavier (135 grams) and thicker (10.3mm) than the Motorola XT760.

Prices and launch dates are unknown for the trio. Also unknown is the destination of these three models and what each of them will officially be named. We will probably see these three in the Chinese and other international markets.

source: PhoneHK via CNET

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Some U.K. stores offer free multimedia bundle worth £120 with Samsung GALAXY Note through March 31st

Get £120 of multimedia free through Saturday

From now until March 31st, U.K. buyers of the Samsung GALAXY Note get more than a huge 5.3 inch screen with their purchase. If they purchase the "phablet" at an O2, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse, Dixons, or Orange store, they will receive a freemultimedia bundle worth £120 ($191 USD). The bundle is accessible through Samsung Hub.

In the U.K., the Samsung GALAXY Note can be bought in black or white, and still runs Android 2.3. An update to Android 4.0 is expected to start rolling out in the second quarter of the year. The freebies include an AVG pro security application worth £6, £65 of free movies and £50 of free music all from Samsung Hub.

The freebies stop on Saturday, so if you are planning on buying a Samsung GALAXY Note soon in the U.K., might as well take advantage of the offer. Just think of how a movie looks on that 5.3 inch Super AMOLED screen.

source: Samsung via UnwiredView 

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Google talking to carriers about Google Voice integration

Google Voice is one of the killer products in Google's arsenal, offering a great range of options for filtering calls, handling multiple phones, texting and a web interface to complement what is offered in the Google Voice app. Unfortunately, there are two major issues with Google Voice: it can be a hassle to sign up/port your number, and MMS is unavailable. 

Sprint is the one carrier so far to offer deeper Google Voice integration, making it easier to sign-up/port your number (and cheaper, as porting through Sprint won't cost you the regular $20 fee), and offering MMS-to-e-mail forwarding to effectively create an MMS system. Now, the Group Product Manager for Google Voice, Vincent Pacquet, has said that the company is "having discussions with other carriers about this".

This report falls under the same heading as the report saying Google is planning to offer revenue sharing with Google Wallet as an incentive to get on more carriers' devices. Of course, Google will offer revenue sharing, and of course Google will "talk" to carriers about getting more Google Voice integration, but there's no benefit for the carriers. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are all investing in ISIS, so won't be too willing to support Wallet, and similarly, those carriers make a lot of money on SMS/MMS add-ons, so why would they support Google Voice and hurt their own revenues? Sprint was willing to do it, because the company lives and dies on its "unlimited everything" plan, but until more customers are opting for the unlimited everything plans on other carriers, we wouldn't expect too much headway made on this for Google. 

source: CNet

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T-Mobile gearing up for price increase on data features

T-Mobile is gearing up for some rate increases on some of its data features. TmoNews obtained a copy of a notice to employees which states, “Beginning April 4th, T-Mobile will increase the price of the Premium 5GB Promotional Bundles and Ultra – 10GB Promotional Bundles Classic data features by $5 per month. The currently available Classic 5GB and 10GB promotional bundles will be replaced with new plans and a $5 monthly rate increase.”

While these plans are changing, there will be no change to the price of the Value Plan data features. Like most rate increases, the new price will not affect customers who have already added one of these plans prior to the effective date. Moving forward, T-Mobile will also continue to include the Smartphone Mobile Hotspot and MobileLife Album Plus services on both the Unlimited-Premium 5GB and Ultra – 10 GB Promotion Bundles at no additional charge. That promotional offer is valued at $19.98.

T-Mobile states that it is adjusting the prices of these services to “better align Classic and Value plan pricing which will help [it] achieve Value mix targets and the company’s financial goals.”

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Your iPad battery may last longer if you don't charge it fully

A few days ago, the news came out that the new iPad battery doesn't actually reach a full charge until about an hour after the battery meter reads 100%, and we said that it might be a good idea to leave your iPad on the charger the extra time to make sure you get your full amount of juice. But, that may not actually be the best idea. 

What we hadn't taken into account was the lifespan of the typical lithium-ion battery. You see, there is a tradeoff to be made between how full of a charge you keep per cycle with the overall lifespan of your battery. Batteries can't last forever, and eventually lose their ability to retain a charge. It turns out that charging your battery longer can speed up the degradation process that will forever kill your battery. Battery University found the difference in how fast your battery will degrade based on charging it to certain levels. 

Given that we've seen data saying the new iPad has a temperature of around 86F (30C) when charging, the difference between charging the battery fully and to just 60% is pretty substantial at that temperature. If you keep the battery around a 40% charge, your battery will only degrade 4% over the span of a year, but if you fully charge your battery, you could lose as much as 20% in the same period. 

It's possible that Apple factored in all of this and has set the battery meter to give a false reading in order to provide longer battery lifetimes, but there's no way to confirm that. Either way, maybe it isn't good to leave your iPad charging too long. 

source: Battery University via Mashable

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