- AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon break down ETFs for the FCC
- Android's "Blapkmarket" pirated app repository goes down hard
- HTC Incredible sneaks into Verizon's inventory system
- Gone as fast as it came: Apple pulls the "Explicit" category from the App Store
- Sprint to launch 4G network in at least 8 major markets this year
- How-To: Improve iPhone lock screen security with an alphanumeric password
- Explicit category could bring sexy back to Apple's app store
| AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon break down ETFs for the FCC Posted: 24 Feb 2010 04:34 PM PST
Early termination fees. No one likes them but they can sometimes be a necessary evil. If you become unhappy with your service provider or you are overwhelmed with lust for a new gadget on a different carrier, you pay the price. Carriers say that these termination fees, or ETFs, allow them to subsidize handsets and recover those costs over the course of a contract. Should a contract be broken, a carrier recovers those subsidies with an ETF. The FCC recently decided something was amiss with ETFs and probed carriers into explaining the rhyme and reason behind the fees. The carriers have finally spoken, albeit a little unconvincingly. Most of you are already familiar with why ETFs exist, but it is interesting to see the canned and obvious responses from the carriers. AT&T boils it down to choice and it really couldn't have done a better job of playing Captain Obvious. Customers can either choose a subsidized handset with penalties if a contract is broken, or go pre-paid and pay for a device outright. Of course, the latter option can either limit handset selection or make a huge dent in one's wallet. Again, it's a choice consumers have to make. Sprint says that its customers are thoroughly informed about contract terms and conditions, and that ETFs are a part of the game. The carrier does everything it possibly can to make sure a customer knows what he or she is getting into before, during and after a handset is sold and a contract is signed to make sure the customer is satisfied and happy. Fair enough, and I agree having been a Sprint customer lately. Vonya McCann, senior vice president of government affairs for Sprint, says, "An unsatisfied customer is much more likely to leave Sprint for another carrier." After recently doubling its ETF for premier or high-end handsets, Verizon actually had the gall to say that it was doing a favor for its customers. Verizon's excuse is the same as everyone else's: subsidies allow customers to purchase otherwise pricey handsets for more manageable costs, and ETFs are put in place in case a deal is broken. But still, does $350 seem fair on top of what a top-tier device usually costs? Lastly, there is Google, who recently got into the handset sales game with the Nexus One. Google either sells the Nexus One directly to customers, or sells it subsidized through T-Mobile, earning a commission in the process. If the customer bails, Google passes the cost of that lost commission down to the customer. What this all boils down to is handset subsidies, which are usually recovered via the pricey monthly plans we pay for. If a carrier fronts $300 on a device so we only have to pay $100, and we cancel a contract three months into the deal, the carrier does have a right to recover those costs because it just waved bye-bye to a shiny new handset.
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| Android's "Blapkmarket" pirated app repository goes down hard Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:38 PM PST
The justifications for maintaining a collection of pirated apps are many, and they generally seem to address legitimate grievances with the whole app purchase process. Blapkmarket, for example, allowed users to "test" applications outside of the standard 24 hour grace period laid out in the Android Market program policies. Perhaps more importantly, it allowed Android users in other countries to access and use apps that for one reason or another weren't available in their home markets. Jesusxxx has even gone on record saying that foreign customers "provide[d] the highest number of requests for paid apps" in an interview with Android Guys. As noble as those intentions may be, there's no question that each app pirated robbed developers of sweet, sweet revenue. For all the "scrupulous" users that made avail of the service for legitimate reasons (which doesn't necessarily excuse their actions), there were undoubtedly countless others that just couldn't be bothered to pay for anything. With Blapkmarket out of picture for now, the big question is whether other shutdowns are on the horizon. Bigger targets are certainly out there, with repos like apptrackr being prime among them. Whether Blapkmarket's death knell spells doom for more pirated app repositories is unclear, but one thing seems clear: like their big media brethren, app developers are starting to take pirating very seriously.
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| HTC Incredible sneaks into Verizon's inventory system Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:13 PM PST
Given that past leaks have been indicating as much for a few weeks now, it doesn't come as any surprise that the HTC Incredible is heading to Verizon. Still, it's always nice to see new, unannounced handsets make their debut in a carrier's inventory, as the Incredible just has. A tipster in cohorts with the guys over at BerryScoop caught it lurking around earlier this morning, and snapped the shot you see above. Inventory entries are too all-over-the-place for this to really indicate just how soon we might see the Incredible hit the shelves. With that said, it's never a bad sign when we start seeing things like this pop up.
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| Gone as fast as it came: Apple pulls the "Explicit" category from the App Store Posted: 24 Feb 2010 01:43 PM PST
Remember the time when Apple added an "Explicit" category to the list of app genres that developers could submit to? You should, because it was only a few hours ago. Well, it's gone. The option has been pulled from the submission page, and the developer who spotted the backpedaling says a quick call to Apple confirmed that it has been pulled, and, while they're considering an "Explicit" section of the store, its not likely to happen any time soon. |
| Sprint to launch 4G network in at least 8 major markets this year Posted: 24 Feb 2010 12:10 PM PST
Take Sprint's WiMax network, for example: as of right this second, it's still only available in about 27 cities [coverage map], primarily in Texas and the East Coast. That's about to get a little bit better, with Sprint announcing today that they'll be rolling out to 8 more cities by the end of this year.
Sprint had hinted at or otherwise mentioned rollouts this year for some of these cities, but today's announcement confirms 2010 launch dates for WiMax 4G in: Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. They're also promising to sneak a few more launches in there before the year is out, but they're not naming any names. Not in one of the roll-out areas? Don't fret; outside of the Overdrive WiMax hotspot, there's really not too much to miss on the WiMax-front. |
| How-To: Improve iPhone lock screen security with an alphanumeric password Posted: 24 Feb 2010 11:20 AM PST
1234. 1111. 0000. When it comes to 4-digit unlock codes, most people fall back on the same patterns/ideas that everyone else uses. "Boy! I sure hope the big bad hacker folks don't think to punch in my Birthday!" Alpha-numeric passwords (that is, passwords with both letters and numbers) are inherently more secure. More possibilities means more security, right? Alas, the iPhone only supports 4-digit codes — out of the box, at least. A few clever gents have figured out an incredibly simple modification that gives you access to the full keyboard for your lockdown duties, no jailbreak required.
Full credit for the discovery of this modification goes to the dudes at 9to5mac How to do it:
Doesn't get much easier than that, right? To uninstall the modification and go back to the standard, 4-digit system, just head to Settings > General > Profiles and uninstall the "9to5mac" profile. Warning: Alphanumeric passwords are more secure, but they can also be harder to remember. Don't forget your password – if you do, you're going to have to dump everything off your iPhone before you can get back in. Don't blame us for your bad memory, you hear?
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| Explicit category could bring sexy back to Apple's app store Posted: 24 Feb 2010 10:27 AM PST
Another fire erupted amongst developers and consumers when Apple decided to pull the plug on apps that contained content of questionable nature. This isn't the first time Apple has done this, but with the pulling of Wobble iBoobs from the app store came a surge of app killings and everyone said they'd had enough. Despite all this, it seems all hope is not entirely lost. A developer noticed that the App Store application process now has an "Explicit" category for submissions. While it's not up on the App Store itself, this could mean that Apple may be looking for a way to stick all that content back in there, and then some. If carrying your laptop around is just too cumbersome for your salaciousness and the banning of sexy apps has ticked you off, exercising a little patience just might pay off in the end. We'll see. |
Now, before we enter the breach, I think it bears repeating that MobileCrunch and indeed the rest of the TechCrunch network in no way condone software/application piracy. Developers work too hard for responsible members of the tech community to give them the shaft like that. That said, while cracked iPhone app repositories like apptrackr continue to operate with impunity, we're surprised to see that the big Android equivalent has been forced to shut down first. Jesusxxx's Blapkmarket, which provided paid apps free of charge to its users, was just recently shut down by his hosting company.
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