mobile

Samsung has launched a firmware update for the wildly popular Galaxy S4 that should quell some unrest for those who own the 16GB version.

Once the firmware is installed, users will have the ability to offload their app installs to the SD card. That's especially important for 16GB device owners who were upset to find that they had just 9.15GB of usable space on the device's storage. Moving apps to the SD card can save some of the needed space. Samsung has also found a way to squeeze another 0.08GB of space on the device's … Read more

When members of the blind community petition the National Federation of the Blind about cell phones, they repeatedly ask for two things: a mobile phone that's easy to use, and audiobooks.

So says Odin Mobile, a new mobile network catering to the visually impaired. The Huawei Vision, Odin Mobile's star of the show at launch, promises to deliver both of those most-wanted attributes as soon as July -- and then some.

Less important than the coincidentally named and preexisting Huawei Vision debut device is the modified operating system that's loaded onto the Android phone. Called Project Ray, … Read more

People with visual impairments just got a new champion in the cell phone world. Odin Mobile launched on Wednesday with a vision of bringing specialized cell phones to customers with limited eyesight.

Accessibility features -- inputs meant especially for those with special needs -- are baked into nearly every cell phone and smartphone, but the three handsets that Odin Mobile stocks in its online shelves are specifically created for blind and low-vision customers.

The Huawei Vision ($300), a Project Ray device backed by Qualcomm and built on an Android phone, was designed specifically for the blind.

Phone owners will navigate … Read more

HTC's popular One smartphone might be getting squished a bit.

Estonia-based site Forte.delfi.ee posted several pictures on Wednesday of what it claims is the long-rumored HTC One Mini. The device, it says (and the pictures corroborate), has the same basic design as the larger HTC One, but comes with a slightly smaller 720p HD screen measuring 4.3 inches. The standard HTC One comes with a 4.7-inch display.

According to Engadget, which was first to report on Forte's find, the smaller device has a 720p display, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. A … Read more

Microsoft will be offering a free version of Office in the smaller versions of tablets running its operating system, a new report claims.

According to The Verge, which quoted Windows CFO Tami Reller at Computex on Wednesday, Microsoft will allow vendors to bundle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote into 7- and 8-inch tablets running Windows 8. Outlook 2013 will not be bundled with the device, despite the fact that Windows RT 8.1, the latest version of that software, will come with Outlook RT.

Like other tablet makers, Microsoft is trying to make a push for the smaller side of … Read more

In this age of cheap, ubiquitous mobile phone and tablet games, you can't help but wonder what Nintendo would make if the company were ever to enter the space. That future seems unlikely considering Nintendo's investment in Wii U and 3DS hardware, but that doesn't mean there isn't software that could be brilliant in the mobile space. In fact, there's a fantastic mobile game Nintendo has right now -- it's just that it lives on the Nintendo 3DS.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the latest in a franchise extending back to 2002 on the … Read more

There's no question that wireless carriers large and small want to get their hands on more wireless spectrum. But deciding which carriers should get how much spectrum was the subject of intense debate on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

The topic was front and center during a Senate subcommittee hearing in which representatives from the two main trade associations and other industry experts testified on the State of the Wireless Market.

Each of the experts called to testify reiterated a familiar request that the government make more wireless spectrum available for wireless broadband services. Without more spectrum, Steve Largent, head … Read more

Though more stylish than what you usually get from manufacturer ZTE, the Engage LT is a $179.99 device that doesn't have much going for it. Other than a rather skinless Android 4.0 experience and Cricket's music service, Muve Music, the handset is slow, both in terms of data and processing speeds, and it doesn't justify its nearly $200 price tag.

In addition, Cricket offers better Ice Cream Sandwich handsets, in terms of performance and specs, around the same price range. (Oddly enough, even its predecessor, the ZTE Engage has more powerful specs than this phone … Read more