Is HTC Planning To Launch iPod Touch Competitor

Competition between Android OEMs and Apple has always been tough, and that's not likely to change for some time. Samsung took the competition to the next level by launching the Samsung Galaxy Player 70, a media player with a dual-core processor, to go face-to-face with Apple's iPod Touch. Now it seems that HTC is also jumping on the media player bandwagon. As you can see from the image above, a leaked patent shot, the device clearly looks like a media player of some sort.

The two front speakers, as well as the two on the rear, along with a kickstand are big hints that this isn't just another Android phone. With the right hardware (and software, of course), this device could be a powerhouse. HTC filed it as a "handheld electronic Device" back in Q1 2011, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published it just last month.

Google Deploys Android 4.0.4 To Select Devices

Google recently announced that Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, is rolling out to mutiple devices. The latest update includes “stability improvements, better camera performance, smoother screen rotation, improved phone number recognition and more.” Some devices are seeing Ice Cream Sandwich for the first time, while others are receiving updates from previous versions of Android 4.x.

More devices will be supported soon, but the first wave of devices includes:

• UMTS/GSM Nexus S
• Xoom WiFi
• HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus

Devices we expect to be upgraded in the “coming weeks” include:

• Sprint Nexus S 4G
• Verizon Galaxy Nexus
• Verizon Xoom 4G

Current rumors suggest the Verizon Galaxy Nexus will see a newer Android 4.0.5 as soon as April, so it could be skipping Android 4.0.4 entirely.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

The title reads"All good things must come to an end" and I'd like to say Mark Hearn, you and SprintFeed will be missed. 


SprintFeed will stop publishing effective April 2nd 2012, be sure to continue following Mark and his post on TechnoBuffalo. 


Mark you can rest assured I will continue to follow your post, and redirect readers to your post. As a fellow blogger I know how hard it can be at times. We at The Phone Ninja wish you nothing but the best. 

Court Rules RapidShare Is Legal

RapidShare is widely known as an invaluable tool for the illegal sharing of copyrighted digital material. Much like Megaupload, which was shuttered earlier this year when company founder Kim Dotcom was arrested and charged with racketeering and violating anti-piracy laws, RapidShare allows users to upload any file and share a link with other users who may then download the content. While some users share files legally with RapidShare, millions more upload copyrighted movies, music and eBooks which are then downloaded illegally by others around the world who find links to the files on blogs or through special search engines. Following a preliminary ruling, a court in Germany has now declared RapidShare to be legal, but it must utilize a monitoring mechanisms if it wishes to remain operational.

Opera Mini 7 Now Available For Android

Today they have officially landed in the market. Opera Mini 7 brings a faster browsing experience and allows you to pan around sites quicker thanks to hardware acceleration. In addition they have expanded the ability to their "speed dials" which give quick and easy access to your favorite websites without needing to access the bookmarks or use the keyboard.  Last, Opera says the browser is better at compressing data, which can save users money by making more efficient use of cellular data. The browser is a free download from Google Play.

Motorola XOOM WiFi Receiving Android 4.0.4 Update



The update is version IMM76 and will bump users to Android 4.0.4. XOOMers can also expect a handful of software enhancements, including improvements to the camera and image quality, quicker screen rotation and better stability.

BlackBerry Bridge v2.0.0.26 Now Available

BlackBerry Bridge has just received an update bringing it to v2.0.0.26. No change log listed as of now, you will definitely want to log in to App World and check for the update if you are a BlackBerry PlayBook owner. 


As we have seen in the past, PlayBook OS updates usually follow shortly behind Bridge updates, so you'll want to be ready for if when that drops.


Download/update BlackBerry Bridge

T-Mobile To Raise Data Plans Beginning April 4th

According to TmoNews, the nation’s No.4 carrier may be looking to increase the price of its premium 5GB and ultra 10GB unlimited data packages. The change could go into effect as early as April 4th and would add an additional $5 to the cost each plan. The 5GB plan will jump from $35 to $40 per month and the 10GB plan will increase from $65 to $70. T-Mobile’s Value Plan pricing will remain unchanged. The premium and ultra plan increases will only apply to customers who sign up for service after the effective date, however. The price increase comes as the carrier is looking to restructure and in doing so, will also cut 5% of its workforce and close seven call centers over the next three months. 

webOS Gets A Long Awaited "Song ID" App

webOS finally has an app called "Song ID" that can identify songs via audio fingerprint. That app is the oh-so-aptly-named Song ID from SSGLabs (their first webOS app). $5.00 brings the basics of a Shazam or Midomi like service to webOS. And by basics, we mean you open the app, hit the big green Listen button, and wait while it gets a sample, sends it up to the servers of an unnamed audio fingerprinting service, and spits back a result consisting of the track name and album info.

We've been playing with Song ID for a little while now, testing it out on Derek's weirdly varied music library. The majority of the tunes Song ID was subjected to it was able to easily identify, be it Frank Sinatra, Tenacious D, the Vince Guaraldi Trio, John Williams' Jurassic Park soundtrack, or the funky offbeat tunes from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. More obscure stuff, like the Dallas Wind Symphony under the direction of Frederick Fennell or the intense ambient tones of The Dark Knight Soundtrack spat back negative results. Song ID also had some problems with Weird Al Yankovic, but that's more a testament to Weird Al's weird abilities than anything else. Hit the link below to download "Song ID" and leave your comments.

Download link

RIM Buys BlackBerrySpin.com Domain

When a company purchases a domain name, it can sometimes point to a new product name. However, sometimes it may just be to thwart confusion, as seen with the case when RIM purchased ‘BlackBerryBlackPad.com’ after rumors circulated that the BlackBerry tablet was codenamed ‘BlackPad’.

Nevertheless, a new domain purchased by RIM has been spotted. The new domain is ‘BlackBerrySpin.com, which of course doesn’t lead anywhere yet. The domain was registered through the brand protection company MarkMonitor, where other web properties that RIM owns like BlackBerryTablet.com are managed.

What could ‘BlackBerry Spin’ be? A BlackBerry 10 phone, tablet or service? Or, merely nothing more than a defensive measure to protect RIM’s intellectual property? If RIM did use ‘BlackBerry Spin’ what should they use the name for?