Android

Google, Sprint announce carrier billing for Android Market apps

Android users on Sprint's network won't have to pay for Angry Birds Rio and other Android Market purchases on their Visa cards much longer.

Today, Google announced a partnership with Sprint that lets you add your Android app buys to your monthly voice and data bill.

Carrier billing, as it's called, opens Android to one more payment method, in addition to the prevailing system of credit card billing.

Deferring app payments has its benefits. First, it lets phone owners decide how they want to settle a bill, and second, it allows customers without credit cards to purchase premium apps.

Owners of prepaid phones are one demographic that typically tends to pay bills with cash or other methods instead of with a credit card. The same goes for subscribers in emerging global markets. More basic Android phones are becoming increasingly prevalent in these sectors.

Google stated in a blog post that it will continue to partner with global carriers to bring the carrier billing option to more subscribers worldwide.

A Google spokesperson confirmed that for now, at least, Android Market carrier billing won't extend to Sprint's prepaid brands, like Virgin Mobile USA or Boost Mobile.

Update, 1:15 p.m. PT with information about Sprint's prepaid brands.… Read more

The 404 798: Where we refuse to respect embargoes (podcast)

We have Mark Milian as a guest on today's episode. He's a tech reporter for CNN.com, which means he'll spend half of the show fielding questions from Wilson about Anderson Cooper. We also chat about the future of micro-blogging, and, of course, we have to grill him about his "Hottie of the Week" achievement last year.

The 404 Digest for Episode 798

Mark Milian wins 081978's 'Hottie of the Week.' UberMedia said to be planning a social network to compete with Twitter. Final Cut Pro X unveiled. Add Mark on Twitter.

Episode 798 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

An open-source geek-out, Latin American style

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina--Last week, I touched down in Buenos Aires with my Ubuntu-powered Netbook in tow and started making calls and sending e-mails to get a handle on the tech scene in this New York-size Metropolis. That is, of course, a difficult thing to pin down, but through sweet serendipity, one phrase did seem to come up over and over again--"open source."

A few years back, Argentina's government looked at mandating the use of all open-source software in its offices, largely to save on software costs.

But the open-source gestalt also fits well with Argentina's independent streak--whether it's the lasting legend of the altruistic gaucho cowboy, rough and rugged while looking out for his fellow man, or the smell of fresh croissants in the air and certain continental flair that make Buenos Aires share more in common with Paris than Caracas, Venezuela.

In fairness, it should be noted that Venezuela actually followed through with mandating open-source software for its government, but Argentina's love of software libre may go even deeper. By mid-decade surveys indicated nearly half of businesses here were using Linux.

With more than a third of Argentina's population centered in Greater Buenos Aires, the city is today home to a thriving open-source community that appears to make the country a leader of open source in Latin America. A quick supporting metric: Firefox 4 has been downloaded in Argentina close to a million times already, according to Mozilla figures, which is several times more per capita than the adoption rate in neighboring Brazil, with its much-lauded emerging economy.

I contacted Guillermo Movia, who works with Mozilla Argentina, and he pointed me to the University of Buenos Aires, one of nearly three dozen sites in Argentina--and many more across Latin America--where Flisol, or the Festival of Latin American Free Software Installation, took place last Saturday, April 9, or 9 de Abril.

The daylong open-source geek-out took place upstairs in part of the university's business school not far from the center of Buenos Aires. The building's heavy wooden doors and ancient stone floors presented the same dignified facade as one might find within the gates of Columbia or Yale. But the energy of the Flisol event was a better match to the buzz outside, across Avenida Cordoba, where a stream of students, tourists, and commuters flowed out of stores and subway stations into a crowded park speckled with the pink autumn flowers of ceiba trees. … Read more

Kyocera Echo review: Double the fun or double trouble?

Though cell phone carriers like to boast that their devices are "one of a kind" and "industry firsts," the claims are usually nothing more than marketing speak. With the Kyocera Echo, however, Sprint wasn't just feeding us a line.

It's almost been two months since Sprint launched the Echo at a very over-the-top unveiling in New York City. Journalists like us usually have an aversion to such events, so it wasn't surprising that most attendees came away a little confused. And it didn't help that the Echo was such an unusual device. Though it looks pretty boring at first, the Echo actually has two touch screens that join together to form one large display. The Echo is nothing we've ever seen before and it offers some unique enhancements that are cool if not exactly mind-blowing.

Of course, the dual-screen design comes with some tradeoffs, and the Echo's design won't build confidence if you subject your gadgets to regular abuse. Even worse, a lackluster feature set makes the Echo's design its only real draw. It won't be for mass consumption, but the right user will appreciate its quirky character.

For the whole story, read our full Kyocera Echo review. … Read more

Digital City 123: Verizon's iPad woes, PlayStation hackers, and more man cave updates

This week, we look at the problems the Verizon iPad is having, find out why Anonymous has been hacking Sony sites, and check out the latest addition to our man cave project.

Bonus: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

… Read more

Sprint delivers music tracks, ringtones with new Android app

Sprint is getting into the music distribution game today with the launch of its Sprint Music Plus service.

Partnering with RealNetworks, the free Android application lets users manage their existing music library, as well as purchase new music and ringtones. Individual tracks range from 69 cents to $1.29 each, and you can also purchase full albums and ringback tones and ringtones.

In an effort to attract more spending, Sprint will offer bundles of songs with their respective tones should a subscriber opt to pick up all three at once. Any purchases made will be automatically deferred to the monthly service bill where customers will see itemized charges.

I've spent a few hours with the Music Plus application today and find it to be only average as a media player. Compared with the HTC music player that comes with the Evo 4G, it looks partially finished and lacking. What I do like, however, is the ability to create custom ringback tones for my contacts based on individuals, groups, and special occasions. It was very easy to set up a special ringback for select friends, so that they hear a specific song at certain times of the day.

As handy as it is for users to buy tracks and ringtones, I cannot help but feel bad for novice Android users. Paying $2.50 for a ringtone seems silly when Sprint will sell the full song for $1.29 at the most. There are also other applications in the Android Market that allow for cropping tracks into bite-size tones.

However, as an all-in-one app, it's hard to complain much when things are free. Sprint customers can find Music Plus as a free download in the Sprint Zone application today. … Read more

The 404 797: Where we earn our podcasting merit badge (podcast)

Today's story rundown includes the Boy Scouts of America staying culturally relevant with a new robotics merit badge, Cisco saying goodbye to Flip mobile camcorders, a crowdsourced fundraiser poking fun at M. Night Shyamalan's dwindling film career, and Germany saying no to Google Street View.

The 404 Digest for Episode 797

Help M. Night Shyamalan get a real education. Cisco gives its Flip video biz the boot. Boy Scouts can earn a robotic merit badge as part of their new curriculum. No more Google Street View photography for Germany.

Episode 797 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

LG Thrive to be AT&T's first prepaid smartphone

No one likes signing their life away to cell phone contracts, but fortunately, most service providers offer some kind of prepaid solution, and they're slowly starting to diversify their phone offerings to include smartphones.

Case in point, today AT&T introduced the LG Thrive, the first smartphone to be available on its GoPhone prepaid service. The Android 2.2 device will start shipping on April 17 and will cost $179.99 and require a GoPhone smartphone data package, which comes in three flavors: $25 for 500MB; $15 for 100MB; or $5 for 10MB.

The Thrive features a 3.… Read more

HTC Sensation 4G to heat up T-Mobile's summer; hands-on impressions

For cell phone fanatics, there's nothing worse than hearing about a cool new device launching overseas and having to wait to see when and if it will land in the States. Thankfully, this isn't that kind of story. Announced alongside the global launch in London today, HTC introduced its latest Android smartphone for the U.S. market, the HTC Sensation 4G, which is slated to hit T-Mobile this summer.

Long rumored as the HTC Pyramid, the Sensation 4G comes with all the talked-about hardware improvements, including a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, a 4.3-inch HD (540x960-pixel resolution) Super … Read more