“It’s a no-brainer” according to an ad by Virgin Mobile to promote their campaign that is aimed at T-Mobile prepaid customers. The Sprint-owned MVNO is offering $100 in unlimited-plan credit to customers willing to switch their phone number from T-Mobile to Virgin Mobile.

As you can see below, the numbers are certainly attractive. If you make a switch before May 31^st you will save a total of $334 in two years and that includes the $100 credit. There is a $55 per month plan for unlimited data (3G speed after 2.5GB, while T-Mobile offers 2G after that limit), messaging and talk service.

That plan costs $5 less than what T-Mobile is currently asking for its monthly package, but don’t forget the speed difference between Virgin Mobile’s EV-DO / WiMAX service and T-Mobile’s speedier HSPA+ / LTE.

Check out the creepy ad below, completely if possible, and tell us what you think about it. And are you planning to make that switch?

[Source]

The post Virgin Mobile Trying To Attract T-Mobile Customers With $100 Prepaid Credit Offer And A Creepy Ad appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

One of the best features on the Lumia 920 is its 8.7-megapixel camera which comes with the Nokia’s PureView label. Of course Samsung Galaxy S4 is certainly a big rival with its own stunning camera capabilities. This makes you wonder, which among the two devices is the best when it comes to video stabilization? Let’s take a look.

As you will see in the video, the Nokia 920 and the S4 were mounted on top of a toy car to test the performance of the two devices in capturing video on the move. The video is in Russian, but no need for any explanations as the video shows you what you need to know.

The video recorded on the S4 is pretty shaky and everything is blurry once the guy starts to pull the car. But on the 920, the OIS (optical image stabilisation) is certainly doing its job and the video is much more vivid. Not really a huge surprise but it’s nice to see how the 920 did against Samsung’s latest and greatest smartphone.

So what do you think of the Lumia’s camera versus the S4?

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The post Nokia Lumia 920 Vs Samsung Galaxy S4 In Video Recording Test appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Sony have recently rolled out an update to fix a problem with the Xperia Z which had the phone randomly dying and requiring a hard reboot. Now, that problem is fixed Sony’s programmers can now sit down and fix a new and rather serious security flaw.

A new vulnerability on the Sony Xperia Z allows anyone to get access to the home screen, apps, contacts and accounts by keying in the USSD code *#*#7378423#*#*. The hack can be seen in action in the video below and demonstrates just how serious this could be for anyone who leaves their phone unguarded in the presence of a tech savvy Android fan (not likely we know).

We’re waiting to hear what Sony plans to do, but expect another update (and possibly a new bug) for the flagship Xperia Z soon. Is this really a big deal? As long as you keep your phone by your side, probably not. That said, it certainly could be if your phone is lost or stolen.

[ Source ]

The post Sony Xperia Z Bug Makes it Easy to Get Past the Lock Screen appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Do you own a busy gambling den and/or casino? Are your staff taking unnecessary “bathroom, breaks”, taking winnings for themselves or cheating the system? Perhaps you just want a more secure, calculating system with little chance of human error? Then what you need is Yaskawa Motoman Robotics new SDA10F blackjack dealing robot.

The sophisticated robot uses its own vision system to recognize cards to aid with dealing and general Blackjack duties. See it in action in the video below:

While this is certainly a cool idea, it likely doesn’t come cheap either. What do you think of this unique robotic Blackjack dealer?

[ Source ]

The post Japan’s Blackjack Dealing Robot Shows Off the Future Of Gambling appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Neuromuscular problems, as you might know, are difficult to diagnose as doctors do not possess an analysis tool for quantitatively measuring the performance of the patients. Doctors have to rely on qualitative or subjective info. Well, that may not be the case from now on. Introducing NeuroAssess, the technology developed by the researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

It’s a tablet app which may help doctors to measure quantitatively the neuromuscular performance of, say, aged patients or a sportsperson with a concussion.

All that a patient has to do is use a stylus to trace a moving target around the circle that’s on the tablet’s screen. The rest is done by the app. It measures the slightest deviations from the circle and the data it collects will be analyzed based on age, sex and handedness, and the final result will be a score.

The researchers have already done tests on 150 healthy people aged 21 to 95 and so they have baseline data. So now the researchers can test the app on patients.

Lei Stirling, a Wyss senior staff engineer, says, “One day it might sit next to the thermometer and pressure cuff in the doctor’s office. Just as your blood pressure is recorded during every visit, so could your neuromuscular score be tracked over time to determine progress through recovery and rehabilitation.”

Check out the video to know more.

The post Harvard Tablet App For Monitoring Concussions (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Earlier today, Twitter introduced a new video sharing service called Vine. The main goal of the service is to have social networking users share videos instantly on Twitter and Facebook. The main drawback? Well, there’s a few.

First off, the app is only for iOS. One platform apps are almost unacceptable in today’s mobile market. Second, the app is getting bad reviews and bad press all over the place for being incredibly buggy. Finally, the app seems to be having a good deal of trouble with its Facebook “connections”.

Just last night, the app started to display “Vine is not authorized to make this Facebook request” when users would try to connect with their Facebook friends. Soon after that, @vineapp tweeted the following message:

“We’re temporarily disabling Twitter and Facebook sharing. It should be back soon. Thanks for your patience!”

At first, we thought that Facebook was intentionally throwing a curveball at Twitter to help ruin the release. But now, after the tweet by @vineapp, it sounds like the authorization error could be the fault of Vine Labs.

Do you think that Facebook is right to block Twitter completely? Who do you think will come out victorious in the social networking battle? Let us know in the comments below.

[ Source ]

The post Facebook Blocks Twitter’s Vine From Accessing Your Friends appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Building anticipation for the upcoming Windows Phone 7.8 release, a video that appears to be an early release of the Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade on a Nokia Lumia 900 has been leaked.

While this is a very short clip, not showing all of the features of the new update, it appears to be very fast and smooth on the Lumia.  This update should be available to the general public in about 2 months.

While Windows Phone 7.8 isn’t as exciting as an upgrade path to Windows Phone 8 would have been, it’s still nice to see that Microsoft isn’t completely abandoning its Windows Phone 7 early adopters by giving them at least a few of the features from WP8.

Do you currently have a Windows Phone 7 handset, are you excited for the update or do you plan on getting a new smartphone soon, instead?

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The post Video Teaser of Windows Phone 7.8 Update on Nokia Lumia 900 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

A new portable fuel cell developed by Lilliputian Systems Inc (LSI) is being dubbed the “plug-less charger,” it will allow you to recharge the battery of your electronic device no matter where you are, and all you need is Butane.

The device, which is about the size of a thick smartphone, is coming with a solid oxide fuel cell membrane deposited onto a silicon wafer. Recyclable butane cartridges will be used to produce power, and, according to the company, each cartridge promises “several weeks of ‘always available’ Personal Power”. The fuel cell can be used to charge any device via the USB port.

Reportedly, the fuel cell lasts five to ten times longer than similarly-sized batteries. According to CNET, it will allow you to recharge your iPhone 4 a total of 10 to 14 times on a single cartridge. And it has been approved as a carry-on luggage item by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

There have been no hints regarding the price tag, but the company says that it will be less expensive compared to conventional spare batteries. If interested, you can get one via Brookstone sometime in the near future. More details on the device will be available soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out a video about it courtesy of Mashable.

The post Butane Used in Fuel Cell (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Decades ago, no one would have thought that the idiot box would evolve into something smarter. We are in the era of the smart TV, and companies like Apple and Samsung are already heavyweights in this segment. The latest machine to enter the market is from Lenovo, who have just launched their Android powered K91 smart TV in China.

The 55” K91, which was shown off at CES earlier this year, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s coming with facial and voice recognition, and you will get access to video on demand and the company’s Le Store. If interested, the K91 is now available along with the smaller 42” K81 and K71 smart TVs for 14,999 yuan (around $2,378) and 6,499 yuan (about $1,030) respectively.

But unfortunately it’s only available in China, the country where smart TVs have been slow to catch on because of content restrictions, and no hints about an international release.  Lenovo selected their home turf to launch the K91 as it is easier for them to negotiate content deals in China. They will certainly try to catch up with the big players in other markets, but content will be a big hurdle for them to sell smart TVs in other parts of the world.

Head here if you want to take a peek at a demo video of the K91.

The post Lenovo Android Smart TVs Now Available in China appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Your iPhone certainly allows you to take some good photos and you can take some great shots, but having a way to mount your iPhone would even give you greater opportunities for the perfect shot. That’s exactly where the new Stickable Resin guard for the iPhone 4 or 4S comes in. This unique case offers a way to protect your phone for scratches and also mount it onto any glass surface for handsfree functionality or photography stabilization.

The new Resin line from Uguard.me is available in a variety of candy, matte, and metallic colors, and, according to the makers, is made with top-quality, durable, and anti-UV materials for ensuring superior protection. All you have to do is apply the skin to each side of the device (not the screen, of course) and press the phone’s backside onto a glassy surface to keep it mounted. Mounting should be done only after making sure that both the surface of the case and glass are clean.

Besides providing anti-scratch protection, the case adds an extra grip, but we are not sure how much it will protect the device from falls, it would be better if it was thicker. If you want to remove it, they say that it will come off easily without leaving residue. The best feature of this case is without a doubt, it’s ability to stick to surfaces, although it promises just temporary mounts. Of course, no one would want their iPhone to stick to a surface permanently. According to Uguard.me, it won’t stay mounted for “hours or days”, so this is just a temporary mount for a few photos, plain and simple.

The case could be helpful when traveling in a car, when you can’t roll the window down but need to take pictures or videos. You can mount the device on the window and this way you will also avoid window glares (and this will work well with the new app). Or you can stick your device onto the microwave in your kitchen for a quick app use. Check out the video for more uses.

Head here if you are interested in the product. It comes with a price tag of €15.50 (around $20).

The post Stickable Resin Skin For Your iPhone (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.