Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Sample Photos Surface, Images Taken Are Only At 8MP Resolution And Not The Full 13MP

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We reported just yesterday that T-Mobile might be getting the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra, which is more of a mid-range device than something high-end like their new Xperia Z2. Although it falls under the mid range category, it likely will still take decent photos, especially since it carries a 13MP Exmor RS camera. Today we’re getting a first look at what some of those pictures will look like, with the first sample pictures to surface that have been taken with the camera on the Sony Xperia T2. Other specs include the 6-inch IPS display with 720P resolution, and software version Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as opposed to the Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat that should be showing up with the Z2 and Z2 tablet.

The sample pictures show below are taken with the Xperia T2 Ultra XM50h model, which is the variant of the device that will be slated for release on the ChinaUnicom network that supports dual SIM and comes in black. There will also be a second model releasing in the region on the china Mobile Network labeled as the Xm50t, which comes in white. It’s also important to mention that the pictures you see here that were taken with the devices camera are only taken at an 8.7MP resolution, but remember that the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra comes with a 13 MP camera, so with photos taken at full resolution the images will look quite a bit better than what is displayed here. With that said, these picture actually look pretty decent, with only the last one looking a little more grainy than expected. It’s also worth noting that all the sample photos from the XM50h were taken on the Android 4.3 firmware build of 19.0.D.0.251.

So far there hasn’t been any sort of price confirmation on the device as of yet once it hits T-mobile, we have only heard of leaks that it will be making a debut on the network sometime around or next to the release of the Xperia Z1S that T-mobile is slated to get as well. For those looking for a device with fairly decent specs and a slightly bigger display, the Xperia T2 Ultra is starting to look pretty good.

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Samsung Is Working On A New AMOLED Tablet With A 2560 X 1600 Resolution Display

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Samsung’s reported second Android tablet sporting a Super AMOLED display is currently in development, and it seems that it has been confirmed that it will not only come with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, but will also come in at three different models. One WiFi, one with 3G connectivity, and one that supports LTE. The listed variants are the model numbers Sm-T800, SM-T801, and SM-T805. The recently released Samsung Galaxy Note Pro series of tablets and Galaxy TabPro series of tablets also utilize this particular screen resolution, however the Pro series devices come with a tad bit of a higher price tag. It is unclear whether this particular tablet with have a price range that is similar to that the of the Pro series devices.

Rumors are suggesting that this tablet will have a screen size that consists of anywhere between 8 and 10 inch sizes, and will come running the latest version of the Android software, Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat. On the processor side of things, it’s said to be housing an unknown processor from the Exynos 5 series of chipsets, and of course it wouldn’t be Samsung without the famous Touchwiz UI, and Magazine UX that we see on the Galaxy Pro series of devices. Although we don’t know for sure what the price will be for this new tablet in any of the models, it’s likely that it could come in at a fairly steep price like the Pro tablets. It’s also possible that Samsung could be looking to make this their Flagship tablet for the year, as the Pro series of tablets are more marketed towards business consumers and not the general public.

There is also a rumor that Samsung is possibly testing at least one feature on this tablet that exists on the Galaxy S5. The Ultra Power Saving Mode that lets users get up to 24 hours of battery life off of a 10% charge when they enter Ultra Power Saving Mode is the feature in question, and could be extremely useful on a larger display like this tablet. I have never personally gotten very good battery life on any of the devices that uses a Super AMOLED, so this in particular would be a great feature to have. More details will most likely surface in the coming weeks or months.

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Straight Talk Now Offers Nano SIM Cards For $6.99 For Use With A Compatible Device

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If you were on the hunt for an inexpensive option for wireless service and have considered Straight Talk in the past, it seems that they are now offering service to users who have devices that run off of nano SIMs. The wireless company is now offering nano SIM cards to customers for $6.99 for use with the service, which can be used inside of a brand new Moto X or other compatible devices. If you were previously looking at Straight Talk but have held off because you own an unlocked device that uses this SIM card size, you can now use the service as an option to meet your wireless needs. The nano SIM cards can be purchased directly through the carrier at their website, or if you would rather physically pick one up for immediate use you can grab one from any Walmart location near you.

Straight Talk can reportedly offer service to anyone using a T-mobile or At&t handset, and the service costs just $45 a month which nets you Unlimited Talk and Unlimited Messaging, with Unlimited data. The data of course comes with a 2.5GB speed cap, meaning that if you reach that allotted amount within your monthly cycle, you will end up getting throttled(slower) data speeds for the remainder of your cycle until it resets the next month. This is actually quite common as other carriers are implementing the same practice with their data speeds. T-mobile has been doing this with their data packages for at least two years.

Straight Talk partners off of T-Mobile and At&t network coverage,(you can reportedly get LTE with these Straight Talk nano SIMs as well) so you should experience little to no difference in service coverage than if you were actually using those wireless subscribers and you can pick up a handset from Straight Talk if you choose. However, they are positioning this great deal to those that already have their own phone that runs on a nano SIM. Once you have your compatible device(make sure it’s compatible before you purchase the service or the SIM card), you can grab yourself a nano SIM to work with your newly acquired phone. The Moto X isn’t the only phone that carries a nano SIM of course, but at the lower off contract cost for an unlocked device it is arguably one of the best deals if you’re wanting a brand new device.

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You Can Now Enjoy Plex On Chromecast For Free, Plex For Android App Still Costs $4.99

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The time is now my fellow streaming media enthusiasts. The time for free access to Chromecast streaming support for Plex, the home media server and Android application combo that allows users to stream any local content that they wish, so long as they upload that content to the Plex Media server which they first have to install on a home PC. Previously, those wishing to use Plex as the media streaming option for local content within their home once it became available as one of the official Chromecast apps, had to subscribe to a Plex Pass for a minimum fee of $3.99 per month. Other options were available that made Plex worth it if you were seeking a better value price wise, but none of that matters now as it won’t cost users a penny to utilize the Chromecast feature for Plex.

The previously locked out feature is now available to anyone who downloads and installs the Plex Media Server program on their PC, although if you don’t currently have the Plex app downloaded on your device, that app will still cost you. For those of us that already have the app installed(whether it was paid or not), the use of the service is now free so you can enjoy tons of streaming music, movies, and TV episodes at no cost. Plex announced the service would be available for free sometime this year when they first announced the Chromecast support for the service in 2013, but everyone was skeptical about how soon that would really be. Plex in their announcement today made sure to thank those Plex Pass subscribers that helped them test and pioneer the feature for all future Plex users, and we have to say you’re welcome.

For those of the users that have yet to check out Plex because of it’s monthly fee, there is no better time to get in on this amazing app for accessing local media. Free Chromecast support, the content mirroring feature and the new music shuffling feature are all great reasons to try it out. The update for the Plex app for Android is live now, so if you have the app installed be sure to go update it if you want the free Chromecast access. If you don’t have the app already, you can purchase it now from the Play Store for $4.99.

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Datawind Sets Goal To Offer $20 Android Tablet

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Budget tablets are nothing new, there are plenty of them available on the market. There is a vision for some companies though to push the boundaries on how low cost they can make them, and one company is aiming to offer a tablet for a mere $20. The company is called Datawind, and they’re a Canadian company who currently offers a budget tablet that only costs consumers $37.99. The UbiSlate 7Ci is already low cost, much more low cost than anything else we’ve heard about so far, and with $20 as Datawind’s new goal they are definitely setting the bar high.(or low depending on how you want to look at it).

The vision of Datawind on a larger scale is not to provide low cost tablets to consumers, but bridge the digital divide for those who might have trouble accessing internet because of a lack of the ability to afford such a device that can connect to it. So in attempting to bridge the digital divide across many emerging markets and areas where the affordability of high cost and high-end tablets is minimal, Datawind is pushing to achieve there goals by producing low cost tablets. Basically the low cost tablets are serving as a means to an end.

At current there are three tablet offerings from Datawind. The Wifi only tablet offered for only $37.99 that we talked about above, and two other available options. One that costs $80 called the UbiSlate 7C+ which adds the capability to connect to the internet via Edge networks, and lastly the UbiSlate 3G7 which can connect to the internet with 3G speeds for $129.99. All three devices offer varied specs, none of which are extremely powerful but the aim is not to provide high-end tablets with outstanding specifications. Datawind is going for consumers who are looking for the lowest cost option to get online. Datawind envisions being able to drop the price of their Aakash line of budget tablets below $20 bucks over the next 12 to 24 months, given that they see a growth in ad and app revenues. Part of how they were able to keep the cost to consumer pricing so low is because they opted to sell their tablets directly to the consumer by way of their website, instead of trying to sell them through retail partners.

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pCell Technology Could Mean Substantially Faster Mobile Internet With More Network Stability

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Compared to just a few years ago, mobile internet is fast. It’s getting even faster as we progress through 2014 and major carriers are working to deploy most of their LTE network to subscribers. It seems that no matter how fast our mobile internet becomes, it can always be faster and provide users with even more connection speed, faster download times, and infinitely quicker browsing experiences. LTE is certainly plenty fast enough for most users, but not all users are within LTE coverage range, and even the ones that are, still lose connection to the network from time to time. A strong reason behind this is the way we implement our current network connections with cell towers. The towers we use to connect to the network as is do a fine job, but we can’t argue that they have problems keeping huge numbers of people connected at once while all of them are trying to use data at the same time.

This is where pCell comes in and could change the way we get and stay connected to our wireless networks, all while enjoying much faster data speeds. At least that’s the idea. pCell is a type of technology that is being developed by a startup company called Artemis which believes that it could deliver internet to mobile users that is 1,000 times faster than 4G LTE, and that it could provide better reliability with staying connected to the network, even when under a heavy load of users at the same time. It’s important to understand that the work and development behind pCell is new, and until some testing trials begin later this year there is still much uncertainty behind the whole idea. However, it sounds very promising and could change our mobile network experience on a large scale.

To get a better understanding of pCell and why it could be a game changer it’s also important to first understand how a current cell tower works and deploys connection to wireless subscribers. Cell towers basically broadcast out the reception that keeps us connected to our networks in a sort of bubble. The cell tower is meant to cover a fairly large area, and obviously being too far away from the reception origin gives you a weaker signal, which could result in slower speeds or even signal loss from time to time. Users can also experience connection issues if towers are placed too close together, which causes a reception overlap, or better known as a deadzone caused by the interference of the overlap. Instead of utilizing smaller numbers of towers to cover massive areas, Artemis wants to put up a huge number of little pCell boxes that cover a smaller area. These tiny boxes are called Pwaves, and basically combine with the signals that are broadcast from each box to provide a faster and more stable connection to each user on an individual level. pCell technology could not only provide faster internet with stronger signals to users, but it also uses less power, and could allow users to experience less battery drain since the devices would use less power searching for a connection to the network. The beginning of a pCell rollout for consumers is due to start near the end of this year in San Francisco, with the hope of a major launch across all major networks starting sometime in 2015.

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Cloud Storage: Which is the Best Option for your Money?

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Earlier today, we heard from Google that prices for extra Google Drive storage was dropping. In fact it dropped quite a bit. Which makes a lot of the other Cloud storage options out there seem a bit stale for their offerings, considering that mostly everyone uses Google services already, and its integrated with most of their services.

Many of you are probably aware of Dropbox, Box, Copy, and even Mega, for storing your content in the cloud. But which one is the best bang for your buck? Well that’s what we are aiming to answer here in this post. We didn’t do a table because just about everyone has different size plans, so hopefully it’s not too confusing here.

With Box you start out with 10GB for free, but if you own an LG device like the G2 or Nexus 5 you can get 50GB for free. Their next plan, and only plan is 100GB which is only $10/month.

Next up is Copy, which is fairly new, and mostly everyone probably used it because of the referral rates they were doing. But you start out with 15GB – if you were to open an account today. Then the next step is 250GB for $9.99/month or $99/year if you pay yearly. And then there’s the 500GB plan for $14.99/month of $149/yearly.

Then there’s Dropbox, which used to be everyone’s favorite cloud storage service. They start you out with just 2GB, however you can earn up to 18GB (I believe) from referrals and other things. The next plan is 100GB for $9.99/month or $99/yearly. Next is 200GB for $19.99/month or $199/yearly. Finally there is a 500GB plan for $49.99/month or $499/yearly.

Finally, we have Google Drive. Which we outlined their plans earlier today, but we’ll do it again here for good measure. You start out with 15GB per month, then jump up to 100GB for $1.99/month. Next is the 1TB plan for $9.99/month and then there’s the 10TB plan at $99.99/month, and the 30TB plan caps at $299.99/month.

So there you have it. A comparison between the top four cloud storage platforms and their new prices. Well Google Drive was the only one that changed, but still there it is. It looks like Drive is the best bang for your buck, but use whatever fits you.

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