T-Mobile may be getting a new batch of spectrum as a result of its failed merger with ATT, but it’s obviously going to always be on the hunt for more, and it’s now urging Congress to ensure that the playing field for future auctions is level for all bidders big and small. Specifically, it’s asking members of Congress to reconsider some pending legislation that it says would “effectively preclude the FCC from considering existing spectrum holdings in determining the qualifications for participation in auctions.” That, it suggests, would put smaller players like itself at a disadvantage to the big spectrum holders in future auctions (namely, ATT and Verizon), and would represent a drastic break from the past twenty years — during which it says the FCC has continued to fine-tune it’s process to ensure “pro-competitive auction rules.” T-Mobile’s full case, laid out by VP of Federal Regulatory Affairs Kathleen Ham, can be found at the source link below.

T-Mobile urges Congress, FCC to keep spectrum auctions competitive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/t-mobile-urges-congress-fcc-to-keep-spectrum-auctions-competiti/

It hit two million paying subscribers in September of last year and 2.5 million in November, and now Spotify has hit another big milestone. According to the Financial Times, it now has three million subscribers paying for one of its premium services, which reportedly represents more than 20 percent of its active user base. As the FT notes, that percentage is up from 15 percent in March of last year, and Spotify says that its “active” users don’t include folks who signed up for a a free trial of its premium service but didn’t continue to use the free service. Interestingly, the company also revealed that over half of its paying subscribers are under 30, which Spotify’s Ken Parks says is a “remarkable number of people who are generally hard to monetize.”

Spotify tops three million paying subscribers, 20 percent of its active user base originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/spotify-tops-three-million-paying-subscribers-20-percent-of-its/

Motorola offered a estimate that lowered expectations for its Q4 2011 earnings earlier this month, and it’s now out with the final numbers, reporting net revenues of $3.4 billion and a GAAP net loss of $80 million. That’s a swing in the opposite direction from $80 million in net earnings during the same quarter a year ago, although the company did achieve the “modest profitability” it had promised on a non-GAAP basis, reporting earnings of $61 million by that accounting standard. Its earlier estimates of device shipments for the quarter also proved to be on the mark, with the company confirming that it shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in total, 5.3 million of which were smartphones. Mobile device shipments for all of 2011 totaled 42.4 million, with 18.7 million of those being smartphones.

As for the company’s efforts to break into the tablet business, it says it “shipped” 200,000 tablets in Q4 and an even one million during the year, although there’s no word on actual sale figures to consumers. Motorola’s Sanjay Jha also says that the company remains “energized” about the proposed merger with Google, which is still expected to close in early 2012 (it’s also, incidentally, precluded an earnings call for today). Those interested can find all of the company’s numbers at the source link below.

Continue reading Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss

Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/motorola-announces-q4-2011-earnings-3-4-billion-revenue-80-m/

Here at Macworld 2012, Western Digital demoed a preview of their essentially finished, yet not final, MyBook Thunderbolt Duo. Scheduled to ship in Q1 for an “aggressive price,” the unit plays host to two 3.5-inch drives, which’ll come stuffed from the factory in either 4TB (2x 2TB) or 6TB (3x 2TB) configurations. On the outside, you’re looking at the MyBook aesthetic you either love or loathe, but around back you’ll find all connectivity has been gutted, save for power and two Thunderbolt ports. The latter means that up to six can be daisy-chained off one interconnect, which when setup in RAID 0 equate rather speedy transfers, like 700MB/sec reads and 500MB/sec writes in the four-unit demonstration configuration we toyed with. And it’s future proof too, as there’s a door up-top which enables plebes to swap drives should the need arise. We’ll keep an ear out for pricing, but until that day arrives, peep them in the gallery below, or in video form after the break.

Gallery: Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video)

Continue reading Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video)

Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/western-digital-mybook-thunderbolt-duo-hands-on-macworld-2012/

The last time we heard about the inexpensive and student-friendly ThinkPad X130e, it was being snatched up by the eager school districts. That move ultimately pushed back the rig’s planned ship date, but fortunately Lenovo seems to have caught up with the demand for its rugged miniature. In case you need a mind refresh, the X130e is sporting an 11.6-inch HD LED display, 250GB for all your storage needs, four gigs of RAM and an i3 processor at its Core (see what we did there?), just to mention a few goodies. Those of you who’ve been counting the days to get your hands on the $429 ThinkPad can finally do so at the source link below.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Student-friendly Lenovo ThinkPad X130e available now for $429 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/lenovo-thinkpad-x130e-available-now/

Silicone juggernaut Intel has inked a multi-million dollar deal with RealNetworks, agreeing to purchase scores of video-related patents and annex an entire software team. Specifics of the accord have Intel shelling out $120 million in exchange for 190 patents, 170 patent applications and a video codec development squad. In addition, the two companies have signed a “memorandum of understanding,” agreeing to collaborate on future development of the licensed software. RealNetworks states that the sale “will [not] have any material impact on its businesses” and it will retain “certain rights” to the sold technologies. Intel says the sale will improve its ability to “offer richer experiences and innovative solutions [...] across a wide spectrum of devices.” The full PR is queued up for you after the break.

Continue reading Intel bolsters video patent portfolio with purchase from RealNetworks

Intel bolsters video patent portfolio with purchase from RealNetworks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/intel-bolsters-video-patent-portfolio-with-purchase-from-realnet/

Qualcomm’s whipped out some flipping great wadges of cash in order to snap up Pixtronix for its PerfectLight MEMS-based display tech. It reportedly cost between $175 – $200 million and is expected to be merged into the company’s super-low power Mirasol-based displays. Compared to the Kyobo eReader we played with at CES, PerfectLight has a wider viewing angle (170 degree), supports full speed video playback and much better RGB modulation. Depending on how successful the marriage is, it could spell the end of the final hurdles that have hampered the widespread adoption of the technology.

Qualcomm buys Pixtronix to make for better Mirasol displays? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/qualcomm-buys-pixtronix/

Lenovo’s not just staying busy pumping out Android handsets and tablets, but now the Chinese manufacturer is teaming up with the National Academy Foundation to launch a mobile app development program for high school scholars in the States. The project is part of the NAF and Lenovo’s “innovative curriculum,” which hopes to induce knowledge in areas like science, technology, engineering and math. Once the dev program gets rolling, it’ll be available at five schools within the NAF network, but the eventual plan is to bring the app-creating party to all of the foundation’s 100 academies. As part of the venture, the ThinkPad creator also donated some of its own slates and all-in-ones to “aid the students and teachers implement the curriculum.” Take a quick peek at the PR below to find out if you (or someone you love) are part of the lucky few.

Continue reading Lenovo teams up with National Academy Foundation, teaches high schoolers about app development

Lenovo teams up with National Academy Foundation, teaches high schoolers about app development originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/lenovo-and-national-academy-foundation-launch-app-development-program/

There comes a time when you must clear out the old and make way for the new, and that’s exactly what Nikon has in store for its D300s and D700 shooters. According to Electronista, the Japanese camera giant added both of its aforementioned DSLRs to the “old products” section on its motherland site. Given how often we see products get refreshed, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise — especially when we’ve seen the D700′s expected successor hanging out in the wild many times before. Keep in mind that Nikon recently took the wraps off its D4, so perhaps it’s just a good ol’ sign the new more-compact flavors are looming just around the corner. Needless to say, we’ll let you know as soon as it happens.

Nikon D300s and D700 hitting stale status, make way for the next generation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/nikon-d300-d700-rumored-to-be-discontinued/

See any trend emerging here? Yes, we agree that Google’s phones are getting hotter with each generation, but that’s not the answer we’re looking for. Here’s a hint: if you examine the above image really closely, you might also discover a progression toward larger handsets. In all seriousness, the above comparison was generated by phone-size.com, a website that’s quite useful to study the relative proportions of different smartphones. But wait, it gets even better. At the top of the webpage, you’ll also find a toolbar to plug in the size and aspect ratio of your display. Once you jump through this minor hoop, the utility produces accurate, life-size depictions of the smartphones — go ahead and hold your slab up to the screen, it really works. Before you dive in, however, be sure to hop the break: we’ve put together an entertaining look at the Xperia Mini, Titan and Streak 5 that you won’t want to miss.

Continue reading It’s okay to peek: phone size comparison tool reveals how your equipment stacks up

It’s okay to peek: phone size comparison tool reveals how your equipment stacks up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/phone-size-comparison-tool/