Google Drive detailed: 5 GB for free, launching next week for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS

Sometimes we get lucky, and today is one of those days. I got a draft release from a partner of Google’s upcoming Google Drive service and it gives away a wealth of information about how Google plans to take on the incumbent Dropbox. The short story? 5 GB of storage, and it launches next week, likely on Tuesday at http://drive.google.com Now let’s talk details. It’s no surprise that it will roll out for free. What’s interesting though is that Google is planning to start everyone with 5 GB of storage. Of course you can buy more, but that trumps Dropbox’s 2 GB that is included with every account. Dropbox does make it easy to get more space,...

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Hackers target 15 Lebanese government websites, calling for better living standards

15 Lebanese governmental sites were taken down this morning by a group of hackers identifying themselves as, “Raise Your Voice,” Reuters reports. The 15 websites, which Now Lebanon describes as “redundant”, all featured the same message, calling for an improvement in living standards, and for the Lebanese government to bring an end to electricity and water shortages. While some of the sites have since been restored, others still bear the folllowing message sent to the Lebanese government by the hackers: We are RYV, short for Raise Your Voice, and we are simply a group of people who could not bare [sic] sitting in silence, watching all the crimes and injustice going on in Lebanon. We will not be silenced and brainwashed by your media. We will not stop until the Lebanese people mobilize,...

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The Best iOS Apps To Watch On Apple TV

Developers don’t have to wait for a fully baked version of Apple TV to come out to get a feel for how their apps will play on the big screen. Although an eco-system for Apple TV apps does not yet exist, there are dozens of quality iOS applications that are best consumed on an HDTV via AirPlay Mirroring. Creating apps specific to the leaned-back setting of the living room requires more than just supersizing titles originally conceived for smartphones or tablets. Successful Apple TV apps need to source and showcase entertainment, news and social activity in ways not currently possible via cable, satellite or video streaming providers. Below are the 10 best iOS apps available on Apple TV today. Note that no games are featured here as that topic requires its own standalone assessment. I am...

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Apple and environmental group to begin China pollution audit “within weeks”

The Financial Times is reporting that Apple is preparing to audit its Chinese supply chain for pollution and will begin joint investigations with a local environmental group ”in the next few weeks.” The newspaper states that one of Apple’s partners, “a maker of printed circuit boards”, is set to be inspected by the firm and the China-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) as it looks to bring environmental issues to the surface. News of the planned audit first broke in February when Ma Jun, the founder of the IPE, told USA Today that the firm had commissioned independent environmental reviews of at least two of its partner’s...

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Intel releases its wish list of Windows 8 tablet features

Everyone, including Intel is expecting Windows 8 to launch before 2012 is over. Intel also wants to ensure its chips are inside as many Windows 8 tablets too, especially considering ARM is now an option. With that in mind, the chip giant has used the Intel Developer Forum being held this week in Beijing to unveil its wish list for Windows 8 tablet features. These aren’t set in stone, but would certainly provide an enjoyable tablet experience if one or two manufacturers managed to hit all these points. First up, Intel predictably sees an Atom processor at the heart of each tablet. More specifically, a dual-core Clover Trail Atom Z2760 with Hyperthreading and burst mode. No details of RAM are given, but Intel expects battery life to be in excess of 9 hours and standby time to be 30 days or...

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FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine on Google

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $25,000 fine on Google Inc., GOOG -4.06% accusing the search giant of deliberately obstructing an investigation into whether the company violated federal rules when its street-mapping service collected and stored data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks in 2010. The agency proposed the fine late Friday night as it faced a deadline for taking action on the "Wi-Spy" case. "We worked in good faith to answer the FCC's questions throughout the inquiry, and we are pleased that they have concluded that we complied with the law," a Google spokeswoman said in a statement. European Pressphoto Agency The FCC's action is based on what it said was Google's reluctance to cooperate with the investigation. The FCC's action is based on what it said...

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HTC One S vs Apple iPhone 4S

Here we go, folks, the battle of the “S”-es – the new HTC One S in the blue or black corner, and the iPhone 4S in the black or white corner. This may leave us with two black corners, though, and it's exactly the dark metal ceramic version of the One S we have now, so the fight will be based entirely on merits, rather than color preference. We kid, since one thing is missing from HTC's phone to go head-to-head with the iPhone 4S in terms of specs, and it is pixel density, while it exceeds in other geeky stuff like processor clock and operating memory. The iPhone's iOS and Android have different resource needs, though, so we'll judge mainly on design, interface performance and camera quality, leaving the application stores aside. With the new trend of higher-end Android devices coming with...

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Google unlikely to sell Motorola in short-term, say sources

Despite persistent speculation indicating that Google might eventually release control over Motorola Mobility, it is unlikely Google will sell the handset vendor any time soon, since the Internet service company has shown more interest in the hardware business, according to sources in Taiwan's handset industry. A recent Wall Street Journal report suggested that Google is preparing to sell Motorola's hardware division to China-based Huawei Device at a high price, citing rumors from Asia. However, the sources pointed out there is no reason for Google to sell off Motorola in a hurry since Motorola has a complete product lineup covering smartphones, tablet PCs and STBs and also has long-term cooperation relationships with telecom carriers and cable TV operators that will be instrumental for...

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Intel offers 7-inch tablet PC for learning

Intel has recently offered a 7-inch tablet PC specifically for learning purposes mainly in emerging markets. The tablet PC is equipped with an Oak Trail Atom Z650 processor, a 7-inch 16:9 1,024 by 600 capacitive touch screen, Windows and Android dual-operating systems, a 300,000-pixel front camera and a 2-megapixel rear camera, 1GB DDR2 memory with option of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB storage, and has a plastic casing and weight of 525g. Depending on specification and customs tariffs, the tablet PC will be sold at US$200-300, industry sources noted. Taiwan-based Elitegroup Computer Systems and China-based Wanlida have begun ODM production...

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Facebook PS Vita app updated with photo uploads, more languages

The young (and fairly barebones) Facebook app for the PS Vita has just received its first update, bringing it to — you guessed it — version 1.01. GBAtemp user masterchan777 posted screenshots showing the app's changelog, and it looks like there are a couple of key additions. First up, you can now upload and tag pictures from the Vita to the News Feed or a friend's Wall; previously you could only add photos to already-created galleries. The app also has support for Facebook Pages as well as "all system languages" now. While they still lag behind the features offered on the iPhone and Android apps, the added photo upload options should help make what we found was one of the worst parts of the app a bit more tolerable. Source : theve...

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Fire from ipod nano to cost apple

While the first version of Apple's iPod Nano media player came out in 2005, a number of the units have since been discovered to be faulty. Indeed, Apple issued a recall of the first generation iPod Nano just six months ago, in November 2011, due to a problem with its battery. Now it looks like Apple is going to have to pay a bigger price for the device's hardware issues. The Japanese media outlet Nikkei (via The Verge) reports that a judge in that country has ordered Apple's Japan division to pay 600,000 yen (about $7,425) to an unidentified married couple in Tokyo. It seems the couple bought their iPod Nano in September 2005. However, in...

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New Ultrabooks and Atom Tablets Offering by Intel in 2012

Intel chips have not yet been able to emulate the performance and efficiency of Apple processors, and in small mobile gadgets, Intel is nowhere in the game. In the race against the big players in the mobile device, chips and gearing up to meet the market threat posed by Macbook Air and iPad, Intel brings about 75 new Ultrabooks and 10 new tablets will be released by other Original Equipment Manufacturers based on Atom tablets. Ultrabook Threat to Macbook.  It is being said that over 178 million shipments of Ultrabooks are expected by 2016. The third generation Ultrabooks- with the Ivy Bridge processors- will hit the stores this spring,...

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You can now take a 3D tour of the Titanic using Google Earth

It has been nearly 100 years since the Titanic crashed into an iceberg and sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic. Our interest has never decreased in that fateful night, and numerous National Geographic specials and even movies have been created trying to tell the story. In fact, we’re only two days away from its 100th anniversary. Google has come up with an interactive 3D model of the Titanic, allowing you to take a tour of the ship that now sits in the murky depths of the sea. Here’s what the Google Lat / Long team had to say about its efforts today: The story of the Titanic has remained with us through the decades. It has inspired...

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Lumia 900 data connectivity fix now available for download

Earlier this week Nokia admitted that AT&T's Lumia 900 was suffering from data dropouts apparently brought out by memory management issues, promising a firmware update by next Monday — but they've beat their goal, it seems, pushing the update out to Zune (for Windows) and Windows Phone Connector (for Mac) today. After the update, you should theoretically be able to connect consistently on HSPA, LTE, and Wi-FI, but don't worry: you'll still be getting your $100 bill credit for your trouble as long as you buy (or have bought) your phone prior to April 21st. Here's Nokia's full statement: Earlier this week, Nokia communicated about a memory management issue with the recently launched Nokia Lumia 900 at AT&T that, in some cases, was leading to a loss of data connectivity. When this...

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Try Windows 8 Metro UI on your iPad using Splashtop

Trying out Windows 8 before it launches is quite a simple affair if you have a PC capable of running it. Simply download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build and run it through a virtual machine or dual-boot your existing PC. Taking the above route does give you Windows 8 to play with, but unless your PC has a touchscreen interface you aren’t going to get the full Metro UI experience. To achieve that, you may be surprised to find an iPad is probably your best option. Splashtop has released a $25 remote desktop client that allows you to load up the Metro UI on your iPad. You’ll be able to use it as if Microsoft’s OS is actually installed...

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New Chromebooks boot in 5 seconds thanks to open source BIOS

So-called “instant on” options have yet to become truly instant, but we’re getting closer. An updated Samsung Chromebook that was just shown off at IDF in Beijing, for example, can perform a cold boot in just five seconds. You’ve still got to log in after that to get at your Chrome OS desktop, of course, but it’s still a pretty impressive feat. Current generation Chromebooks like the Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700 take around eight or nine seconds to boot. Thanks to this new model’s updated processor (thought to be a Sandy Bridge chip) and a lot of time spent tweaking Coreboot, a Linux-based replacement for the proprietary BIOS options...

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Apple Denies U.S. Accusation of Collusion on E-books

WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple Inc. said Friday the government’s accusation that it conspired with major book publishers to raise the price of e-books is untrue. Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said that instead, Apple fostered innovation and competition by introducing its iBookstore in 2010. He said customers have benefited from e-books that are more interactive and engaging. Apple’s entry into the e-book marketplace has broken “Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry,” said Neumayr. Lawsuits filed this week by the Justice Department and 15 states said Apple and the publishers cost consumers more than $100 million in the past two years by adding $2 or $3, sometimes as much as $5, to the price of each e-book. On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder said executives at the highest...

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Now everyone can make money from their videos, as YouTube opens its Partner Program to all

You may or may not already know this, but YouTube’s Partner Program is an initiative by the Google-owned video-streaming platform to help creators develop skills, build audiences and – crucially – earn some bucks. YouTube has now announced that its expanding the eligibility to the program across the twenty countries that it’s available in, meaning it’s not just those with the popular videos who are invited to join the scheme. The YouTube Partner Program is currently available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. “We’re excited to provide more creators with the opportunity to become partners and have access to...

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7digital brings its MP3 download service to Windows Phone

London-based music download platform 7digital has finally launched its Windows Phone app, bringing its arsenal of MP3 tracks to the slowly-growing user-base on Microsoft’s mobile operating system. Launched in the UK in 2004, 7digital’s download store and mobile applications give consumers access to over 18 million tracks across Europe and North America. The service finally launched in the US back in 2009, and just before Christmas we reported that 7digital was set to power T-Mobile’s Mobile Mall Stateside, giving US music fans access to tracks from the 4 major labels (Sony, Universal, Warner and EMI), as well as dozens of independent labels. 2011 was a busy year for 7digital. It released an Android smartphone app last May – adding to its existing iOS and BlackBerry apps – followed later...

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Google Can Still Find Time for Self-Driving Cars, and It Doesn’t Expect You to Understand Why

Larry Page has made a point of “cleaning up” Google during his first year as CEO by killing off some side projects that weren’t going anywhere. But Google is still taking fliers on oddities like self-driving cars and computerized eyewear, and that’s not going to stop. The challenge, Page said today during the company’s earnings call, is figuring out which of those fliers to take. Google has plenty of money to throw at this stuff, but a limited amount of time. Here’s his answer to an analyst question about crazy projects the company might have up its sleeve, and whether it is still committed to its 70/20/10 plan, where employees are supposed...

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Apple Fires Back at the Feds, Amazon

Nearly two days after the Department of Justice filed antitrust charges against Apple and major book publishers, Apple is responding. Here’s comment from Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr: The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore. Apple’s response is similar to ones made by Penguin Group and...

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China-based white-box tablet PC makers ramping up shipments, say sources

China-based white-box tablet PC makers have ramped up their combined shipments to three million units a month recently, and total shipments of tablet PCs by all makers are expected to top 50 million units in 2012, market research firm eMedia Asia has estimated. In Guangdong province alone, hundreds of small- and medium-size businesses have entered the development and production of tablet PCs on an OEM, ODM or OBM basis, according to industry sources. With the availability of Android 4.0 platform, white-box makers have rolled out tablets in 7-, 8-, 9.7- and 10.1-inch sizes with specifications catered to customer's demand, said the sources, adding that the models target markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. The white-box makers are able to deliver a 10.1-inch model,...

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Apple to DOJ: Amazon had a monopoly on ebooks and the iBookstore broke it

Only a few days after the US Department of Justice filed suit against Apple as well as many other publishers over the pricing of ebooks, Apple has finally decided to break its silence on the matter. According to All Things Digital, Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr had the following to say: “The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.” The suit, which came after 2 years of investigation against the publishers, alleges price fixing in the ebooks...

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Apple will finally be allowed to intervene on behalf of developers in Lodsys patent case

Apple will be given limited rights to intervene on behalf of developers sued by patent troll Lodsys, a source has informed Florian Mueller of Foss Patents. Today, finally, Apple’s motion was granted in part: “Apple is permitted to intervene in this suit, but such intervention is limited to the issues of patent exhaustion and licensing.” Judge Rodney Gilstrap concluded that Apple was entitled to intervene, and in any event, a permissive intervention (one that the court can allow in its discretion) was also an option. Back in August, Apple insisted on intervention rights in the case, even after a rebuff attempt from Lodsys should be a welcome one for many small developers that are waiting with bated breath the outcome of this proceeding. In the meantime, the original Judge on the case resigned...

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An iPhone User Tries Nokia’s Lumia 800 For Two Weeks

There’s a lot of talk right now about Nokia and its Windows Phone 7 handsets. Specifically, it is the newly released and much hyped Lumia 900 which is seeing most of the headlines and clicks right now. The handset itself is expected, or at least hoped, to signal a return to form for Nokia and to offer Microsoft a way back into the minds of US smartphone buyers who have been happy to lean towards iOS, Android or even BlackBerry over the last few years. While the Lumia 900 is the subject of many a review right now – not all of them good, just ask The Verge’s Joshua Topolsky about that – that isn’t the model I’m here to tell you about. I’m...

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Google+ gets the biggest minor update ever

The Google+ app for Android got what appeared to be a pretty minor update today, but it is actually one of the best updates, and one that fixes an annoyance that we've had with the app since it was first launched. If you have been following our articles about the various Google+ app updates, we have frequently commented on one continuous problem: sharing links on mobile. The option to share links has always been there, but the problem was that when you shared a link, it would post as a plain link and would not be expanded to the much more visually pretty posts that you would get if you shared the link on a desktop. That has finally been...

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AppMosaic For iPhone Displays The Top 200 Free / Paid Apps In A Beautiful Mosaic Pattern

If you’re a fan of tweaks a little out of the ordinary, then AppMosaic by ctrled may be just the sort of thing you look for. Probably classifiable as an app as opposed to a tweak, it portrays the top 200 apps (free and paid) in one elongated mosaic. It only depicts the icons, but by tapping on them, a box appears at the bottom of the screen denoting the title and its publisher/developer. Since the App Store app only seems to load 25 entries at a time (the rigmarole of scrolling down and tapping "see more" can get tiresome if you’re interested in the broader scale), AppMosaic is certainly useful because it allows you to view all of the top...

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The new Sony: Kaz Hirai presents his strategy for recovery

In the past months Sony has been confronted with everything from a foundering TV business to a massive tax charge that together have pushed its expected loss for financial year 2011 to a record $6.4 billion. Today, Sony has gathered the press at its head office in Minato ward, Tokyo, so that recently-appointed CEO Kazuo Hirai can explain how he plans to turn the newly reorganized "One Sony" around. Hirai wants everyone to know he takes the recently-announced loss very seriously. The key to recovery, he believes, revolves around strengthening the company's core businesses — digital imaging, gaming, and mobile — and turning around its TV business....

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Now with 170 million users, Google+ gets a complete redesign

Google has today announced it will launch a new revamped version of Google+, providing users with the ability to customize the way the social network looks, display the content that is relevant to them and come together in a new Hangouts interface. The search giant details the update in an official blog post, stating that the social network is now 170 million members strong. With that in mind, the company says it wants to accelerate its efforts “to create a simpler, more beautiful Google.” What does this mean exactly? Instead of the icons at the top, Google has provided Google+ users with a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left that...

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Now at 45m members, LinkedIn rival Viadeo lands $32m to spur growth in Europe, emerging countries

For most people, online social networking in a purely professional context is almost synonymous to ‘using LinkedIn‘, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only business social network in town. Many countries have local networking sites for professionals, and a handful of companies are trying to compete with LinkedIn on a global level, including XING and Viadeo. The latter was started in France back in 2004, but has expanded to other countries – mostly by acquisition – over the past few years, and has managed to attract over 45 million registered users to date. For the record, that’s still a far cry from the more than 150 million members (in over 200 countries and territories) claimed by LinkedIn. But Viadeo says 1 million new members join the online business network every month, so it’s not that...

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Check if your Mac has the Flashback trojan

If you’ve been following the tech news over the past few days, you’ve probably seen a few mentions of the Flashback trojan. It’s been said that over 550,000 Macs have been infected, which is a staggering amount considering the relative safety (or at least the perceived safety) of OS X. The malicious software has been known of for a few months now — it disguised itself as a Flash installer, making it seem like an innocuous addition to your computer, when it was anything but. But how to do you find out if your Mac is infected with Flashback? It’s surprisingly easy — a tool that will diagnose your computer is available here. You just need to...

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Google+ receives massive UI overhaul

If it wasn’t clear before this week, it should now be apparent that the battle between Google and Facebook is about the future of the web as we know it. Both of these companies are vying for the attention span of users across the globe. Facebook and Google both want one thing above all else, and that is for you to be using their services all day, every day. The more you are tied into their tools, the more data they can collect, and the more ads they can deliver. At the end of the day, that means being able to provide users with the best social experience. While Google+ is certainly making headway, this is still and are in which Facebook is...

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iPhone 5 to have a Larger 4 inch Screen

If you think, the iPhone 4S is sizzling, iPhone 5 will be much better if rumors are to be believed. The new generation of the iPhone, gadgets yet to be released will have a larger 4-inch screen coming with a brand new and sleeker design. What is New? The sleek and new design will be the main attraction of the iPhone 5 and the 4G connectivity support will be an added advantage. Customers are expected to ‘dwarf’ iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S when the new iPhone is launched- that in itself is and achievement in itself considering that present iPhones have been hugely successful. The built-up to the iPhone 5 launch is the same if one looks at what...

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Teardown Shows Nokia’s Lumia 900 Costs $209 to Build

As smartphones go, the Lumia 900 has a lot of hopes tied up into it. It represents the collaboration of Microsoft, the software behemoth on the PC that has struggled in recent years to make a go of the smartphone business, and Nokia, once the king of wireless phones, period, now struggling to get back in the game versus Apple and Google. So far, the launch hasn’t gone quite so well. First there was a lackluster review. Then, days after going on sale on Easter Sunday, the company has admitted to a software glitch and is offering people who bought one a $100 credit in addition to a software patch. The credit makes the phone free to buyers...

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Alternatives to the iPhone

Q: I’ve been using the iPhone since it came out in 2007. And while I’m satisfied with the way it works, I’m considering changing phones just to have something different—in particular a larger screen. What, in your opinion, are the best alternatives to the iPhone? I use mine primarily for email, along with checking stocks and weather. A: I would go with an Android phone, which has plenty of apps that are similar to what you are used to, and which typically these days come with larger screens, some exceeding 4.5 inches. There are always new models coming out, and there are so many that it can be hard to recommend one. But, in my tests, I’ve been especially impressed with the Samsung Galaxy models. Q: I’m a Verizon user currently on 3G and we’ve been promised 4G in our area by end of 2013....

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