T-Mobile apologizes and removes ads from notification bar

A T-Mobile spokesperson just dropped the following statement into my inbox, advising customers they have discovered the cause of the Android notification bar advertisements and removed them. T-Mobile apologizes for the inconvenience and hopes we can all move on and have a nice weekend. Our story is just about 28 hours old, so we have to give the folks at Magenta some credit for a swift reaction to their customer concerns.

During a recent software update, a message to promote T-Mobile’s free VIP Zone was mistakenly sent to certain customers and appeared on the notification bar for some Android devices. After T-Mobile was made aware of this mistake, the company stopped the notifications. T-Mobile apologizes for the inconvenience this may have caused customers.

We researched prices on other carriers (and would leave-do to horrible customer service and poor network quality in my area) but T-mobile is so much cheeper than the better services out there-so its a soley financial decision to stay with T-mobile.

But it is interesting that people complain about them as if they are charging Verizon prices. It's mean you have to expect lower quality and lower quality service when the price is so much cheaper.

Going down from t-mobile in price, to say metro or simple mobile, we'r sure everyone would expect less coverage and cheaper handsets. T-mobile does a very good job of maintaining their network, offering high speed and good coverage, and providing cell phone options that (WHile incredibly overpriced sometimes) are quite competitive in today's market.

T-Mobile myTouch SLIDE 3G REVIEW:

Swipe For Mail – The New Way to View Your Email

Swipe for mail allows users to swipe left or right to see their next or previous emails in the Mail app. This is another app made available for jailbroken iDevices. According to Cydia, Swipe for Mail adds the ability to swipe left or right in Mail.app to retrieve the previous or next email. No icons are added to your home screen or settings and there are no options to configure either.

We tested the Swipe for Mail tweak on a jailbroken iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0.1 and we can confirm that it works just as advertised. It might be a small tweak but we feel that it is a very useful tweak which makes reading email a more pleasant experience and it saves you plenty of time. If you are one of the few who prefer tapping their screen this might not be the tweak for you as it involves swiping. It is however a great simple tweak that you can add to your jailbroken iPhone or iDevice that uses the Mail.app.

You will of course need to have a jailbroken device to install this tweak and if you need help jailbreaking the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 you can use Absinthe. If you have the iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1 and iPod Touch you can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze. Swipe for Mail can be downloaded for free from Cydia under ModMyi repo which is included by default.

Swipe Gestures For Email Fans With 'Swipe For Mail' CYDIA TWEAK - iOS Vlog 701:

ProTube HD Lets You Experience YouTube As It Should Be On Your iPad

A few weeks ago the reinvention of the YouTube application for the iPhone was made public as it was imagined by developer Jonas Gessner. This is available to all those who have a jailbroken iPhone and is available through the Cydia store. This new app has a number of features and additions that many feel should have been native in Apple's stock implementation of YouTube. ProTube has been a huge success for jailbroken devices and following on from this Gessner has released a HD version of the app for the iPad. If you are not familiar with the ProTube app then all you need to know is that it is a complete reinvention of the YouTube application which combines a professional look with a powerful feature set.

ProTube HD is not just another tweak, it is a full self sufficient application and when you launch it ProTube presents the standard mobile version of the YouTube website with some really powerful features. By taking advantage of the mobile version of YouTube and then coupling this with the iPad screen and the recognized interface controls, ProTube HD represents what many people are saying is a superior alternative to the native experience. This application has some great features including all of the expected YouTube activities such as commenting, sharing and rating videos, you gain control over your user account, you get high and standard definition video downloads and the option to save only the sound track of a video in high quality MP3 format. There are plenty more features built in and you can view the full list in the Cydia store.

ProTube HD is a bargain price at just $1.49 and it is available now through the Big Boss repository. It is compatible with iOS 4 and above.

ProTube:

New Improved A5 Chip And Brand New A6 One On The Way

According to rumors Apple is reportedly working on an improved A5 chip as well as a brand new A6 offering. This comes as part of the speculation on what the reported Apple media event due to take place in early March will bring. This media event will let everyone know what the new iPad 3 is gong to hold and many think that Apple could be planning more.

A large number of the rumors around the iPad 3 seem to be in agreement that it will feature retina display and have an improved rear camera. Over the past couple of days there has been disagreement over the processing power that the new iPad 3 will have. Some say it will be the quad-core idea whilst other believe that Apple will stick with the current A5 offering as a base but improve on the existing chip by possibly adding an improved graphics engine.

If these latest reports are to be believed, Apple could be planning a double barrelled approach by improving the A5 chip and developing an improved quad-core processor which is likely to be called the A6. 9To5Mac are reporting that the A5X chip is a halfway upgrade between the current a5 model and the next model which will be the Apple A6. Evidence has also been found within the iOS 5.1 beta releases that points to Apple working on the S5L8950X and S5L8945X model numbers which would seem to point to two individual processors with the current A5 model being the S5L8940x number.

The fact that two separate processors are being worked on by Apple will be enough to produce plenty of rumors and possibilities but if this is what is happening then logic reasoning would point to the fact that the A6 chip would be used in the new iPad 3 while the A5X processor could be used in the revamped Apple TV set top box. As with all rumors this is just speculation and it could be that Apple is deciding which processor to use. Only time will tell and we are all waiting anxiously for the March media event to see which rumors are in fact true.

iPad 2 Review:

How To Bypass iOS 5.1 Restriction When Installing iMovie v1.3 on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch Running iOS 5.0.1

The Apple media event last week caused quite a stir and Apple announced the release of a brand new iPad and Apple TV. Both of these new products are going to be released to the public on the 16th of March at 8am. The pre-order section of the Apple website was inundated with pre-orders and this caused a number of server and store down issues. Apple also took the opportunity to announce some of their apps at the media event that have been updated so that they are now compatible with the new iPad Retina display and these include the iWork Suite, GarageBand and iMovie.

For those of you that can’t live without your jailbreak the update of iMovie is going to be tough. This new app benefits from a great deal more functionality and an improved user interface but it also comes with a requirement that iOS 5.1 be installed. This means that jailbroken users who wish to keep their untethered jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1 won’t be able to download it. That’s what most people thought anyway.

It seems that the App Store makes a quick reference check against a .plist entry saved in the CoreServices directory of the device to determine what version of iOS is installed. If the check returns a value less than the minimum version required, an alert is displayed advising that it requires a specific iOS version.

If you have a jailbroken device it is simply a matter of using a program such as iFile or SSHing into the device and changing the version string in the SystemVersion.plist, which will fool the OS into believing that iOS 5.1 is installed and this will allow you to download iMovie. This means that jailbroken devices can benefit from the great new features and additions to the newly updated iMovie App. All you have to do now is head over to the App Store, download the iMovie app and enjoy all the cinematic goodness that awaits.

Swivl Motion Tracking Smartphone Camera Dock Starts Shipping

Anyone patiently waiting for the arrival 0f the Swivl motion tracking smartphone dock, we first featured back in November last year. Will be pleased to know the device has now arrived and is ready to purchase.

So if you pre-ordered the Swivl for $179 you can expect it to arrive very shortly as shipping has now started, according to its creators and developers. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action.

Swivl will first reach those of you who first shared our vision the soonest and we will continue to fulfill pre-orders in the coming weeks” -“If you pre-ordered but have not confirmed your order yet with credit card information, check your email or head over to the site and do that right now.

Swivl has been designed to hold your smartphone and then follow you where ever you may walk within your room through 360-degrees. The system uses a “Marker” which is worn by the person that wants to be tracked. The “Marker” also doubles as a remote control for the Swivl.

The Swivl has been designed to provide a hands free unit that lets record your actions with your iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phone, GoPro, or Flip. Although the remote control will only currently work with iOS devices via an additional application.

Swivl Motion Tracking Smartphone Camera Dock:

Square Reader Gets Protection with Hoodie

Are you worried about your Square Reader? getting smashed into pieces in your pocket or inside your bag. Then just forget about it and thanks to the Square Hoodie. Funded by Kickstarter and designed by Charles Mercader and Sam Dominguez, the Square Hoodie acts as a case of your reader, as well as its loop. You can then attached it to a set of keys, ID lace, or a zipper.

The advantage of the Square Hoodie among other protectors for the Square Reader is that one does not have to remove the case while using the reader, which is clearly not the case for earlier models. The Square Hoodie is currently available for pre-order at $9, or $25 for multiple cases. For those who are not familiar with the Square Reader, it is a credit card reader for iPhone, iPad, and Android, which lets your device pay with or accept payments from major credit cards.

Introducing Square Hoodie:

UK Mobile Provider Three Abolishes Out Of Bundle Data Charges

There's an announcment from UK Mobile Provider Three that, they are getting rid of out of bundle data charges, which is good news for their customers and smartphone users. Previously if you went over you monthly data limit, you would be charged more for any data you used over you allowance, and this has in the past been standard across the mobile industry here in the UK with the exception of T-Mobile, but this could change as Three is one of the first companies to remove the excessive charges.

Now when you go over you monthly data allowance on your smartphone or tablet, Three will basically stop you from using any more data for that month, and also give you the option to buy more data, with 250MB of data costing you £2, or the option to buy all you can eat data for £5, which will last for thirty days. Three have also announced that they will be launching a new range of price plans, you can find out more information over at the Three Blog.

The fastest growing mobile network; Three UK:

Instaprint Location Based Photobooth

A small company called Breakfast that specialises in creating devices to bridge the gap between online and the real world, unveiled their new Instaprint location based photo booth. Its been designed to transform parties by allowing anyone to print photos using Instaprint that has been set look out for specific locations or hashtags. The photos are then printed on ink less paper automatically. Watch the video after the jump to see Instaprint in action.

Over the past year the team at Breakfast have been creating prototypes and have now perfected their device. The team have now published it on Kickstarter and are looking for help to make the jump from concept to production. The team behind Instaprint explain:

“Going from prototype to consumer product is a massive step, and is something BREAKFAST has been working on for almost a year. It’s a huge endeavor that will require us to bring on more staff and dedicate many months to make it all happen. Some things are sure to change as we get into the thick of it, but that means things will only get better.”

If you would like to see the Instaprint location based photobooth become a reality jump over to the Kickstarter to make a pledge and help it on its way.

Keshot Social Media Photo Booth: The Picture Collection:

SprintTV iPhone App Launches

SprintTV has finally launched an iPhone application for users, enabling iPhone owners to now view selected live and on-demand programming from partners such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, The Disney Channel, MTV and Comedy Central to name a few.

SprintTv also provides premium packages allowing you to watch to more than 40 paid premium packages with popular shows including “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “SpongeBob Squarepants” and “The Daily Show with John Stewart.” Which start at $4.99 rising to $9.99 per month. You can now download the new Sprint TV Applcation for free from the iTunes App Store. The entire lineup of options available through the Sprint TV App can be viewed over on the MobiTV website.

Use of Sprint TV is included in plans with unlimited data. Sprint is the only national wireless carrier offering truly unlimited data plans for all phones, with no throttling or overages. Casual data charges of $0.03/kb and standard text messaging charges will apply to customers not on a plan with unlimited data and messaging.

Sprint TV App Review:

iFrogz Boost Speaker Uses Near Field Audio Technology

This week iFrogz unveiled their new iFrogz Boost Speaker which is equipped with near field audio technology. Which enables the little black box to be able to amplify a smart phones audio without the need for a connecting cable, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.

Though the near field audio technology might sound very impressive. The reality is that iFrogz have embedded a microphone into the speaker system which takes up the audio from your smartphone and feeds it directly to the speaker.

So if you were expecting high quality reproduction you may be a little disappointed. But if you would like to just increase the volume of the audio from your cellphone, this little iFrogz Boost Speaker might be just the thing. The new iFrogz Boost Speaker system will be arriving in the spring of 2012 and will be available to purchase for around $40.

ifrogz Boost Near-Field Audio Amplifying Speaker: First Look:

HTC One V To Join Mobile World Congress Party

Here’s another reason to watch out for the upcoming Mobile World Congress: HTC One V. The new phone was previously called the HTC Primo. It’s the third device HTC will be unveiling at the Mobile World Congress, with the HTC One X and the HTC One S also reported to be the names for HTC’s new line of phones.

The HTC One V is one of the company’s music-centred phone and as such, will come with Beats Audio, which is part of HTC’s collaboration with the brand known for their bass-pumping headphones. Other details for the One V is that it will come with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), a 5-megapixel camera, 1.0 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, not really top-end specs but more than enough for the average user. Besides, it’s targetted for those who often use their phones as their music player.

MWC 2011 - HTC Press conference - part 1/15: