When Facebook unveiled its “Facebook Home” launcher for Android – everyone us were wondering: Do we even want or need this? The answer to that question seems to be a “no”, at least in its current form.

The Home-equipped HTC First isn’t a bad handset, but already there has been reports of poor sales and AT&T even cut the price after just a month from $99 with contract to just $.99 with contract. There are even rumors that AT&T is preparing to discontinue the First.

In light of mixed to poor reception for Facebook Home, the HTC First is now being delayed from its expected UK launch.

It was supposed to arrive this summer through EE and Orange, but is indefinitely delaying the launch. Here’s Facebook’s official statement:

We’ve listened to feedback from users on their experience using Home. While many people love it, we’ve heard a lot of great feedback about how to make Home substantially better. As a result we’re focusing the next few months on adding customization features that address the feedback we received. While we focus on making Home better, we are going to limit supporting new devices and think it makes a lot of sense for EE and Orange to hold off deploying the HTC First in Europe.

The question is whether this delay means that Facebook Home is dead or not. Personally, I think that Facebook invested enough time and money into Home that they will keep working on it, adding more improvements that help it become more useful. Will it be enough for them to find success? I have strong doubts, but you never know.

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The post HTC First UK Launch Delayed as Facebook Home Continues to Receive Mixed Reception appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

From now on you can use a Google Now style voice search on your chrome browser. It is now available in the latest Chrome stable version for the desktop, and all you have to do is get the new update by taking the following steps:

• Launch your Chrome browser and open the settings.
• Click on Help and after a few seconds you will be prompted to relaunch Chrome.
• After you restart Chrome, just head to Google and click the microphone icon in the search box.
• You will have to give permission for Google to use your microphone (look for the bar on top), depending on your privacy settings.
• Then you speak.

Testing it out, we can tell you this isn’t as “fancy” as was shown off at Google I/O. More than likely this is just the beginning, and a more advanced form of the search will arrive a bit down the road.

Have you started using voice search? What do you think of the changes?

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The post How To Update Your Chrome Browser To Get Google Now Voice Search appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

News flash: Apple’s iOS is more locked down than Android … okay, that’s not exactly a secret. This is why something like Facebook Home is not available on any iDevice at the moment. But they did bring deep integration for Facebook and Twitter earlier, and are apparently going to do the same trick once again, this time with Flickr and Vimeo.

According to 9to5Mac, the photo-sharing service and the video sharing site are going to get new connections in Apple’s upcoming iOS 7.

The rumor says iOS 7 users will be allowed to sign into their Flickr and Vimeo accounts through the settings menus, like how you can integrate Facebook and Twitter accounts now. And both the services could be accessed by third party apps. You will be able to upload photos and videos to both the services directly from the iOS Photos app.

The iOS users who have Flickr and Vimeo accounts will certainly benefit from the integration, if it happens that is. It will also be good for both the services as well. Yahoo would certainly welcome more traffic to Flickr, which has just been updated in a major way.

But the inclusion of Vimeo is a surprise, as the site is mainly for short films and high-quality videos. Videos shot in a smartphone end up most of the time on YouTube. But, Apple’s OS X is integrated with both Flickr and Vimeo, so the new rumor can’t be pushed aside that easily.

We will keep you updated about iOS 7, so stay tuned to Mobilemag.

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The post Apple iOS 7: Deep Integration for Flickr and Vimeo Coming? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr is certainly big news, but they have promised that the blogging site will remain the same as it is now. But much needed changes have arrived for Flickr, which was acquired by Yahoo back in 2005 (and then neglected until now).

The changes that have arrived include updates to the Flickr web experience, a new Android app, and a new business model which is meant to attract new users to the site.

Via the new look, the focus is on the photos. Users will now be able to enjoy big thumbnails, full-screen pictures by default, and an image’s metadata is below the fold. Your photostream will display a big tiled view of your pictures, and there’s an easy share button for sharing pictures to the social network of your choice. The Android app is also making photos the focus. The screenshot of the app below shows photostream on the left hand side and Explore section on the right hand side.

So, big changes to how the site looks. But even bigger is what’s available to free account holders. From now on, free users have access to 1TB of storage. Earlier it was limited to 300MB of photos and two videos per month. And back then there was just one paid version: unlimited photos and videos per month, no ads, and detailed statistics for $24.95 a year. From now on, there are two paid options: $49.99 a year with no ads but everything else is the same as the free version, and for $499.99 you will get 2TB of storage. Only those who are having paid accounts at the moment can renew subscriptions. This pricing strategy has just one goal, which is attracting new users to its free service and discouraging subscriptions.

According to Adam Cahan, SVP of Mobile and Emerging products at Yahoo, Flickr has 89 million users at present who have uploaded more than 8 billion photos. But that’s nothing compared to Facebook’s more than 1 billion users and 240 billion pictures. Maybe Yahoo is a bit too late with this Flickr update, though it’s better late than never.

But the new look is not being accepted by Flickr’s current users, although we think that it’s a good update. The site certainly looks and feels way better and could attract many new users with their new strategy. The current users will certainly adapt, at least Yahoo could be hoping so. And everything appears to have come at the right time; an awesome update and an acquisition of one of the biggest blogging platforms.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer says, “We have a nice set of the creator brands. Photographers and writers. With that, there is natural set of opportunities that arise between Flickr and Tumblr and we’ll deal with that as it comes”.

Maybe things are starting to get better for Yahoo. What do you think? Do you have plans to start using Flickr? Do let us know in the box below.

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The post Yahoo Finally Giving Flickr The Love It Needs appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While Google Glass is a leader in its field, it lacks on one thing: attraction and applicability to that of sports and athletes.  While it is water resistant, it is not the toughest of products and probably wouldn’t hold up to someone dripping sweat for long periods of time.  Recon Instruments saw the obvious hole in the market and developed the Jet.  The Jet is a pair of sport sunglasses with an integrated Android powered display that has an endless amount of possibilities.

Recon, previously known for its MOD ski goggle inserts, takes the idea one step further and applies the same technology to a sporting pair of shades with a list of supped up features.  They also added a huge amount of connectivity options and sensors, it comes with WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, thermometer, GPS and most exciting, ANT+.  These features will allow the shades to gather data from different capturing sources such as heart rate monitors, cycling power and cadence.

Strava users will be chomping at the bit to get this technology with the ability to get real-time displays of everything they desire.  Engaget tried a pair of prototypes and described the glasses as a bit flimsy and stating they had a difficult time seeing the display.  But keep in mind this was a pre-production prototype and I’m sure they will work out some of the bugs and finalize a marketable product.  The removable battery is said to have a projected life of six hours, way more than I would need to get winded!

The Recon Instruments Jet is set to ship by the end of the year and we have no official release of expected price, though some speculation it will cost around $500 — give or take a hundred or so.  Seems a bit steep, but those that already spend thousands on their bikes and gear will have no problem dropping that much for the real-time applications and training possibilities.

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The post Recon Instruments Create Android Powered Sunglasses appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The E3 event, which has been scheduled to be held from June 11 to June 13, is strictly press and industry-centric. People who attend the event are required to have some professional connection to the industry. But the guys behind OUYA seem to believe that it is wise (and it indeed is) to include the players themselves while doing their marketing.

They will be showing off their Android-based console in a parking lot outside the LA Convention Center. And they will be providing equipment and free food among other stuff to developers for making sure that their booth attracts a lot of people with plenty of games.

Developer’s Best Friend (that’s apparently a job title) Kellee Santiago says, “OUYA will be present for all three days of the event, and we’ll provide everything you’ll need to put on a killer game demo. OUYA console…check, controllers…check, TV…check. We’ll also make sure that you’re fed and have plenty to drink while you’re onsite because hydration and nutrition are key.”

As we reported earlier, the device’s launch has been delayed by the company due to higher demand, and also to make sure that the console arrives without any hardware issues.

So, who all are headed to E3 for taking a peek at OUYA?

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The post OUYA E3 Demo In Public Parking Lot appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Back in February this year, Verizon introduced budget friendly 3G prepaid plans which included the $60/month plan with 500MB of data and 2GB of data for $70/month. Both the plans include unlimited talk and texts. Now Big Red has quietly extended the amount of data allotted for each plan.

From now on, customers using BlackBerry, Android or iOS 3G smartphones will be able to enjoy 2GB of data with the $60 plan, while the $70 plan is coming with 4GB of mobile data. These new offers are available at the moment to existing customers. These won’t be available to new customers until June 6^th. And just in case you don’t know, these plans are just for 3G. There are no hints about the inclusion of LTE. And there are others around offering better plans, though everything will depend on the coverage that you get.

Are you currently using one of these plans? If yes, are you satisfied with the increase of data? Verizon’s 3G plans are expected to become cheaper while also offering more data in the future as more customers start using LTE.

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The post Verizon’s 3G Prepaid Plans With Extended Data appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Haven’t heard of Jolla? This Finnish startup has long been working towards the mission of refreshing the MeeGo mobile operating system and creating a phone of their own to run it. Now it’s official, the company has announced their first phone, aptly named the Jolla.

The new phone will feature a 4.5-inch display, a dual-core processor, an 8MP camera and a removable battery. There is also 16GB storage and a microSD slot. What really makes the phone special though isn’t the specs, it is the MeeGo-based OS, Sailfish. This unique OS will certainly set the Jolla apart from other phones on the market.

You have to wonder though, does that also mean you will be isolated when it comes to apps? The good news is that the phone will actually be Android app compliant, meaning that you won’t be left out when it comes to great apps. Whether or not that means full Google Play store support or some obscure Android app store – that remains unseen.

There are still a lot of “unknowns” for the Jolla phone and its Sailfish OS, but it certainly a unique project and its great to see companies out there in the mobile world that aren’t afraid to do something new and different, even if it makes their product decisively niche-targeted.

Interested in learning more about the Jolla, or even getting your hands on the phone? You can now pre-order the phone from the company, starting today. The phone is expected to cost around $500 and release towards the end of the year. Even more interesting is the pre-order process, which has different amounts you can spend with different reward levels – similar to Kickstarter rewards.

What do you think of Jolla, worth considering or are you better off with a similarly priced mobile device running a more established mobile OS?

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The post The First Phone From Jolla Now Up For Pre-Order, Runs Sailfish OS appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Today’s smartphones offer multi-core configurations, tons of RAM and are considerably more powerful than the PCs of late 90s and early 2000s. Unfortunately, they are also very expensive.

You look around and see tablets coming in at ridiculously cheap prices with mainstream brands going as low as around $150-$200, and lesser known brands hitting sub-$150 pricing. Wish the same could be said for phones? It can, as seen with the new ThL W100, a quad-core smartphone with an extremely affordable $170 price tag.

The catch with the W100 is that it is designed for the Chinese market, though getting in shipped internationally isn’t all that hard, just check out reputable sites like Chinavasion. As for the actual specs, the ThL W100 has a 4.5-inch display with a 960 x 540 resolution, a 1.2GHz MTK6589 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear cam, 5MP front cam and comes with Android 4.2 (with Google Play support).

The phone also has tons of sensors (proximity, light, etc), microSD, dual-SIM support, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi and support for 2G 850/900/1800/1900MHz and 3G 850/2100MHz. Probably the biggest downside for the handset is it only has 4GB internal storage. Luckily, the phone has microSD and has a special settings option that allows you to designate the external storage as the default write location.

The phone isn’t perfect, but for those of us looking for quad-core performance and reasonably high-end features without signing a contract, this could be a perfect way to do it without spending a fortune. As for the brand? You might not know ThL, but it is actually quite popular in China, with over 340 retail locations. In other words, this isn’t some no-name operation that will disappear overnight.

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The post Quad-core Smartphone for Under $200? The Chinese ThL W100 Is Just That appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While some of the early Glass Explorers are more tech enthusiasts than actual developers, it is still important to realize that the glasses are in fact targeted towards developers, and not true commercial use. Because of that, they have a few special rules that come with that high $1500 buying price.

Specifically you can’t resell, transfer, give or loan Google Glass out. That’s a bit harsh though, as you paid a lot for the Glasses – and you probably have a long list of folks that want to try it out. Luckily, Google has changed its stance on the whole “loaning” part of its Google Glasses policy.

Here’s what the newly revised FAQ says about loaning:

Can I loan Glass to someone else?

A: Yes. The philosophy of the Explorer Edition is “one device for one person,” but we understand that there are situations where you might want to loan the device to a family member, friend, or colleague. Please don’t sell, rent, or otherwise make a profit off the device. That’s not allowed, nor is it in the Explorer spirit.

In other words, you can now allow friends and family members to take Glass for an extended spin, days, weeks, whatever have you… as long as you aren’t charging any dough to them, that is.

What do you think of Google Glass, hope to someday soon get your hands on it, or is it merely a fad item that will see a loss of interest in time?

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The post Google Changes Its Mind on Loaning Out Google Glasses, Now Allows It appeared first on Mobile Magazine.