unexpectedly Sprint’s LTE network found active earlier

If you’ve been waiting eagerly for Sprint’s LTE network and happen to live in their initial launch regions (Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta and San Antonio) then we’ve got good news for you: reports are coming in that the 4G LTE network is discoverable AND active. The reported speeds are 10 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. Not all pockets in the above mentioned cities are getting consistent network, which launches officially tomorrow.
[via The Verge]

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iPhone 5 preorders start today

Apple’s mythical “iPhone 5” — which does not yet exist and probably won’t be called the “iPhone 5″ when it does become available this fall — is already available for preorder on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. As Reuters reports, Far Eastern vendors are looking to capitalize on the flurry of rumors that have swept the Web over the past few months. Independent sellers on the Alibaba-owned site are including mock-ups and rumored specs with their listings, and they’re asking for as much as $1,100 to secure a preorder for the world’s most eagerly anticipated smartphone. Apple’s next-generation iPhone, which is expected to look much like the mock-up pictured above, will reportedly feature a taller design, a larger 4-inch display, a slimmer profile, a new dock connector and 4G LTE connectivity when it launches this fall.

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Nokia Lumia 610 will soon came to the UK carrier O2

Nokia Lumia 610 will soon came to the UK carrier O2. The handset is expected to arrive later in July and is expected to retail for around £150 on Pay as You Go.

At that price range the handset will be competing with the HTC Desire C, which costs £139 and only has a half VGA screen, and likely does not run Ice Cream Sandwich very well on its 600 Mhz single core processor.
The addition will add to O2 UK’s Windows Phone range, which at present only includes the Nokia Lumia 710 and 800, but omits the Nokia Lumia 900.

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Rovio releases Amazing Alex for iOS and Android

Life after Angry Birds can get frankly quite ‘angry’. Well, Rovio begs to differ and it thinks that it make it quite ‘amazing’. Today, Rovio has released its follow up to the Angry Birds franchise called Amazing Alex for both Android and iOS. Rovio has also said that it will be launching Windows Phone, Mac and PC versions of the game very soon.
Amazing Alex is a puzzle game and is the first new game the Finnish developer has rolled out since 2009, when it released the original Angry Birds game. The game features 100 challenging levels and Rovio is promising free updates to the game like the way it has provided updates for the Angry Birds franchise.
Amazing Alex is actually a rebranding of Casey’s Contraptions. Rovio had acquired the rights for the game back in May from its creators, Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut. Rovio had previously stated that it would rework Casey’s Contraptions and it would enhance the game by way of new content and better graphics.
The gameplay of Amazing Alex revolves around chain reactions that are needed to complete a level. The game features over 35 interactive objects, which can be used to design and publish custom levels.
The game is offered in three varieties for Android – A free Trial, a Premium version that costs Rs 54.90 and a HD version for Rs 165.82. The iPhone version of the app costs $0.99 and the iPad friendly HD version of the app costs $2.99.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 shows up for pre-order at US retail

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 shows up for pre-order at US retail had originally planned to launch the larger incarnation of their Galaxy Note earlier in the summer, but the device took a detour on its way to store shelves and re-emerged with a quad-core processor and built-in S Pen. Now US retailers are beginning to offer the device up for pre-order. J&R has the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for $499 and the 32GB model for $549, the only problem being a lack of clarity on an actual release date.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 has experience its share of false starts. It was initially unveiled back at Mobile World Congress in February and featured a slightly different spec sheet at the time. As an expected launch neared, rumors picked up that Samsung was redesigning the slate with quad-core processing in mind. The tablet’s chassis also got a slight makeover. Let’s just hope the Note 10.1 can make it to release this time without the folks behind the scenes deciding a few more upgrades are in order.
[J&R via UnwiredView]

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Samsung Galaxy S III Will Be Available at Online Store form US Cellular

Those hoping to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S3 but wishing to stay a bit more local will soon get their wish. That is, in regions covered by US Cellular. The regional provider will join the Big 4, putting the Galaxy S III up for purchase on the carrier’s website starting tomorrow. The phone will find its way into the stockrooms of US Cellular’s retail locations by the end of the week.

Initially USCC will only be stocking the 16GB version of the Galaxy S III, but the 32GB model will see a release by the carrier sometime in the future. A specific date has not been named. Word is that customers with pre-orders of the device have started to receive shipping confirmation.

[via Engadget]

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Apple iWallet Delay is a Win For Rival Google [Rumors]

An ongoing rumor that Apple's new iPhone 5 would integrate near field communication (NFC) technology, allowing the smart phone to become a digital wallet, may be put to rest soon.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple said they’d postpone the NFC technology before jumping into the market. This is a rare move for a company known for taking the lead in innovation and presenting its users with unprecedented technologies that end up being life-changing for most.

Though last month Apple was granted an NFC-related patent called “iWallet” from the United States Trademark & Patent Office, the company has decided to postpone its release until users adopt the technology somewhere else.

iWallet would have permitted users of the upcoming iPhone 5 to keep track and control of financial transactions through their handheld devices. iWallet would also have allowed iPhone 5 users to gift iTunes products to fellow users through a NFC chip that can be integrated into iPhones and iPads for “digital interaction.”

However, in the increasingly competitive rivalry between Apple and Google the latter seems to be taking the lead as "Google Wallet" -- Google’s own NFC solution -- is already in negotiations with major credit card companies to provide the mobile commerce service through Android devices.

But in what seems like an acknowledgement of Google’s lead – at least in this particular technology – Apple has decided to hold off and opt instead for using its recently launched iOS app “Passbook” to offer its users the possibility of collecting coupons, gift cards and plane tickets. Only time will tell which will come out on top in the growing mobile commerce sector.

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