Meet Sidebar: Student programmer creates popular Android app at CodeDay Seattle

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We’re pretty geeky up here in the Pacific Northwest. With messenger bags full of the latest Windows gear and too many new startups to count, we’re in no short supply of tech gurus. So it’s no surprise that in Seattle we have StudentRND preparing high school techies for the real world that awaits them. StudentRND’s multi-annual CodeDay hackathon took… Read More…

Why I won’t buy another subsidized Android phone (and why you shouldn’t, either)

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Guest Commentary: In the past few weeks, T-Mobile has been trying to shake up the mobile phone industry by offering no-contract plans in conjunction with the iPhone 5. Notably, their USA CEO John Legere put the issue of subsidized phones front-and-center, saying, “This is the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard in my life!… Read More…

IDC: Smartphones now more popular than feature phones

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These days, it’s almost surprising to see someone using an old-school flip phone, and now some numbers from the IDC prove that a majority of people are using smartphones for the first time ever. Shipments of smartphones took over those of feature phones in the first quarter, as more than half of cellphone shipments (418.6 million) were… Read More…

T-Mobile needs to fix ‘deceptive’ no-contract ads, says Washington state AG

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The way T-Mobile USA is touting its shift away from wireless contracts has Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson seriously irked. So much so, in fact, that Ferguson demanded that the carrier, which has its U.S. headquarters in Bellevue, fix its “deceptive advertising” campaign for the new “Uncarrier” plans, which promise no contracts and no commitment…. Read More…

Cellphone performance report: Data speeds up, fewer calls dropped

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Bellevue-based RootMetrics is out with its 2012 mobile carrier performance review and it shows good news for all four of the nation’s big carriers, with download speeds up and fewer calls dropped. Verizon, though, took the cake for data, text and call speed ratings. AT&T was not far behind, and T-Mobile came in third for overall… Read More…

Inventory problems force T-Mobile, Sprint to delay Samsung Galaxy S4 shipments

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T-Mobile customers ready to get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S4 will need to wait a few more days after an inventory delay has pushed back online sales. Originally scheduled to be available to purchase online today, T-Mobile announced that Samsung’s new flagship smartphone will instead be available five days later on April 29. The… Read More…

Done deal: MetroPCS shareholders approve T-Mobile merger

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The merger between MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA is completed, as MetroPCS shareholders approved the deal this morning. Shareholders were expected to give the nod to the deal, especially after T-Mobile USA parent company Deutsche Telekom reduced the amount of debt MetroPCS would carry from the merger from $15 billion to $11.2 billion and also lowered the interest… Read More…

Swype Android keyboard out of beta, available in Google Play Store for $0.99

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Swype’s Android keyboard is finally out of “beta” phase and now available to the masses. Swype, a Seattle-area startup that was acquired by Burlington, Mass.-based Nuance  for $102.5 million back in October 2011, has arrived in the Google Play Store. Previously, the keyboard that allows you to form words by dragging your finger from letter to letter… Read More…

POLL: Facebook Home reaches 500K downloads in nine days — are you a fan?

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Yes, the initial Google Play ratings are pretty crappy for Facebook Home. But at the very least, we know that people are definitely curious about the social media king’s new addition. Facebook Home surpassed 500,000 downloads in the Google Play Store this weekend, just nine days after its release on April 12. The company’s newest add-on puts… Read More…

Donate your old phone, support domestic violence aid with Verizon’s HopeLine

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Old cell phones are one of those things in life that just get forgotten — they’re shoved into a kitchen drawer with their coiled chargers, or laid to rest in the crevices of an office. After a run-in with the washing machine or the toilet, sometimes they just get thrown away. After a while, it’s… Read More…