Slacker just released a major overhaul to their user interface for iPhone and iPod that incorporates a lot of enhancements with swiping and better sharing to social media. The only downside is the new color scheme that they brought with it is the same as Windows Phone Metro blue instead of the harder edged black. Also they have changed their logo from the black and yellow trimmed to a red and white color that could and hopefully is temporary for the Valentines Day Hallmark Holiday tomorrow.
Check out the UI changes:

As you can see Slacker has a fresh coat of baby blue metro paint which I don’t particularly care for but what I do like is the very cool live tile affects it has. Each tile, one at a time will flash an image to either a play list picture or image relating to the tile. It’s a little slow but very cool indeed. I would have also liked to see all tiles displaying related images instead of just one at a time. Slacker, we are used to sensory overload, let us see more material.
Now check out these very cool sharing changes!:

You can now share a single song where you could not before by choice. In the old version of Slacker it would automatically share a predetermined selection from the settings. Now it can be done within the song selection which is really cool. I have never liked or set any app to auto share. I always make the choice to share anything individually. You can also email, text message, twitter, or Facebook favorite material.

Swiping is also big now in the new Slacker UI. Like the iTunes Store, you can swipe across rows of content to quickly find what you want or scroll through your own saved music choices. This was already “sort of” implemented of the iPad but was hard to find and use.

The new UI update to slacker is really fresh and easy to use. Again, I would have preferred some custom color options and not the metro baby blue color theme. The sharing feature has been something I have wanted for a long time and finding new content is even easier than before. With the new Slacker update only rolling out to iPhone and iPod, Slacker must have something really unique in store for us on the iPad. No word on the iPad refresh but they did go ahead and change the icon from the black and yellow trim to the red. We will keep you posted on any changes but in the mean time head on over to the iTunes Store and get your update or download Slacker and give it a try. I personally opt for the premium service for 10 bucks a month. I like being able to cache offline content to listen to while I travel and also the live radio stations and DJ’s make the experience more personal. Slacker also has an ad driven version for free as well as a mid level 5 dollar a month plan that isn’t as loaded as the premium version. Head over to Slacker for more information on their subscription plans.

Xbox has been a subject that we have not covered a lot here on Mobility Digest. In the past, we left it to our other site called Xbox360Digest.com run by our good friend Patrick K. Well, unfortunately he has moved on to bigger and better things in the mobile industry and has very little time to maintain it. So we are kicking around the idea of picking up where Xbox360Digest left off.

So kicking things off we have some pretty impressive numbers being revealed by Microsoft executive who leads the interactive entertainment business Yusuf Mehdi. So today talking to AllThingsD disclosed that Xbox 360 sales have exceeded 76 million in the seven years since it has been released. More surprising was his revelation that Xbox 360 is not just the ultimate geek mantle piece, but has a massive appeal to women as well. As a matter of fact 38% of Xbox units have been by women and more than 51% percent are by people who have kids. I’m actually in that parent group with kids as my son bought one with his own money that he saved. So could a claim be made that the Xbox also teaches kids responsibility? That might be a stretch but the fact remains the Xbox is a powerful demographic gaming console that has mass appeal.

Yusuf also said that Kinect has sold over 24 millions units and 46 million Xbox Live accounts. How many hours does the average US Xbox owner spend per month? 87 hours! Another huge fact is the growing entertainment segment that Microsoft is carving out with its partners like Netflix and HBO that is up 57% year over year.

Some very exciting things are happening with Microsoft and I can’t wait to see the further integration of gaming across all platforms. Coming from the early days if Windows Mobile, Xbox Live on a smartphone is huge! So as we consider going forward covering more console gaming, let us know what you think. Drop us a comment or send me an email using the contact us page. We would love to hear your suggestions. Also, we would need some writers to spread the word. If you have any interest, contact us and let us know, we would love to get some gamers on the team.

Looks like there are some gremlins running around in the latest iOS 6.1 update for iPhone 4S owners. Apple has pushed an update, iOS 6.1.1 out to all iPhone 4S owners:  “…fixes an issue that could impact cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S.” Head on over to iTunes or check your iPhone 4S for pushed updates OTA.

Download iOS 6.1.1 10B145 for iPhone 4S [Official link]

[via Redmond Pie]

Had a few Tweets that were stemming from an article written by David K about the Surface Pro commercials during the Grammy’s. He felt that they failed to explain the product. Even though Ramon and I, who are much cooler than he is BTW, respectfully disagreed, he has fired back and said that BGR also thought the same thing. I thought the commercial was hit all the highlights and did a good job":

• Business Class
• Stylus (s?) are for cool people
• Keyboard and cover are the bomb but pricey
• Fresh UI
• Beat boxin’ with a mic plugged in

So I was thinking it nailed it and wondered if this was bad, then how bad is the Apple commercials. The last memorable Apple commercial in my opinion was Get a Mac Series. Running from  2006-2009 (Does it seem that long ago?) the I’m a Mac and I’m a PC guys were hilarious. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs characters were brilliant and funny.  

Given the challenges facing Microsoft to become a force in the smartphone market, reinvent themselves in the PC market, and stay the leader in the console gaming industry, I think this is a good commercial. So what you got next Apple? What’s your next memorable commercial?

Wait, and was that William Hung making a guest appearance?

Even though the sales on the iPhone 5 speak for themselves, it is clear that a lot of people are looking elsewhere and want something different when purchasing a smartphone. With even more units sold, Android has been a  very popular substitute for the fruit phone for those looking for a change. Android, which gained popularity by price and those monster specs built into their flagship devices, has a monster in the HTC Droid DNA. HTC has struggled as of late with Android attention getting flagship devices compared to that of Motorola and Samsung, but they have got a well made device in the DNA. So today we got a video comparing the two, HTC Droid DNA and Apple’s iPhone 5 in what  they call a video “Schmackdown”. It’s been a while since I posted one of these but since they have dropped the price of the DROID DNA by HTC to only $49.99 for new accounts and $99.99 for upgrades on the Verizon Network.

Check out the video below and head on over to Wirefly for more information or to purchase the DNA.

If you are not familiar with the term MVNO, what it stands for is Mobile Virtual Network Operator. What they do is lease spectrum from the Large carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile and open up their own service without all the costs of maintaining it and expanding it. Seems risky, but it there has to be a buck in it or I would not be writing about it. One of these MVNO companies called Solavei just hit the radar this morning and not for their network prices or plans. This time it is for their newest smartphone offering. Only because they will be first in the US, and second for the ridicules amount of money they will be charging, but they have announced that they will have the BlackBerry Z10 for the paltry price of $999 . Yep, a  cool 1K today will get you the BlackBerry Z10 goodness contract free.

The BlackBerry Z10, already available across the pond and in Canada, was not due to launch here in the US until mid March by all accounts. But Solavei can get you hooked up starting today. Just take a deep breath at the check out counter. Solavei, who rides on T-Mobile’s spectrum coat tails, sell’s it’s monthly customers unlimited voice, SMS and data for just $49 a month contract free. They also have a pretty deep deal referral program. Sell your friends or family and you could get your service paid for. For every three you talk into Solavei, they will give you $20 per month credit. There appears to be some other incentives too, but I’ll leave that in your capable hands to sort out the fine print. Not really sure I have ever seen a Solavei subscriber. Anyway, swap carriers, get your service cheap and paid for if you are good at selling, and then drop a cool 1K and be the first to brag about having BlackBerry Z10.

[read]

Brazilian smartphone shoppers will be a little surprised when they pick up an iPhone and see it powered by Android and not the expected iOS that the rest of the world is using. It seems back in 2000, prior to Apple’s iPhone existence, Gradiente, a consumer electronics company files for a patent on the name iPhone and now seem to be thumbing their nose at Apple as they plan to strip Apple of the iPhone name tag and release their own iPhone powered by Google’s operating system called Android.

There has been no comment yet from Apple but it is safe to say that they are not going to take this lightly and it would be pretty standard operating policy for the Cupertino tech giant to send a swarm of lawyers armed with large check books to make the Apple magic happen and get their name that they made famous, iPhone, back on their iOS powered devices. So expect if the legal wrangling doesn’t work then Apple to slide a rather large check Gradiente’s way like they did in China where they ponied up 60 million to get the iPad name back.

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I actually find this pretty amusing and wonder where this story goes from here. Perhaps this is why Apple is in trouble with stock holders who are wanting to get their hands on some of that Apple treasury they are hoarding, they are holding it for fights like these.

[via Android Authority]

Thanks Danny!

We have been talking a lot lately about the BlackBerry launch of their 2 new devices and then there has been a lot of discussion on the rollout of Windows Phone 7.8 as well. The Surface Pro embargo lifted yesterday and the emails have been plentiful on that new tablet from Microsoft. There is obviously no shortage of iPhone or Apple rumors either. For our Android readers let’s take a break and throw some Sammy rumors that are hitting regarding the massively successful Galaxy S smartphones and the upcoming announcement for the 4th version.

One source has suggested that we could be seeing invites go out after this months WMC in Barcelona for a March 15 announcing of the Galaxy S IV. This would make for a release date of April. Just like previous versions the SGS4 will be a heavyweight in the specs arena:

• Exynos 5 Octa (8-Core) CPU
• Mali-T658 (8-Core) GPU
• 5 inch Super AMOLED Full HD Screen
• 13 Megapixel Rear Shooter 1080p Video @ 30FPS!
• 2 Megapixel Front Shooter with 720HD Videos
• Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean

The GT-I9500, or Galaxy S IV is also said to be coming in two colors black and white. I wouldn’t look for much in the way of a design change, why mess with brilliant looking device. Stay tuned for more and if you like having the latest a greatest device and you have an upgrade, a couple more months might get you a loaded out SGS4!

[via]

There is no doubt that smart phones have greatly aided us to be more efficient at our jobs. No one knows this more than me. I use my AT&T iPhone 5 daily to conference with my International clients and respond to emails in the evening hours because of the time difference. With my exchange email account I can reply back at all times of the night. It is part of the job. I use Skype for voice calls to save lots of money, the camera and a VERY handy little app called My Measures that allows me to take pictures of our products and add measurements to them to interact with our engineers. So we are all good with the idea of a smart phone being pretty handy right?

Of course smart phones can be a major distraction as well. Everyone knows this as well as a lot of employers that ban or prohibit personal cell phones during work hours. So why would AT&T promoting apathy at the workplace? Check out this ad I just saw on Facebook:

AT&T is suggesting that if you are in a long conference call on company time that you should take advantage of not being directly involved or noticed by colleagues on the other side of the call to screw off and play Words with Friends. I think AT&T has a lot bigger problems than promoting this sort of thing and should concentrate on their network issues for starters. Drop a comment and let us know what you think. Is this responsible for AT&T to promote?

As we have been keeping you up to speed on, there is finally an Evasi0n Untethered Jailbreak Tool Released for iOS 6!  There was not a whole lot f hope until a well know group of developers came together and called themselves Evad3rs. Made up of  Pod2g, Pimskeks, Planetbeing and Musclenerd they got right to work and in a very short amount of time released a statement saying that they had several exploits identified that would allow them to release an untethered jailbreak to the general public. The only drawback waiting to jailbreak iphone 5 was for iOS 6.1 to be released by Apple to ensure that there was nothing added to the final version that was not in the beta developers versions that would stop the release. Now that iOS 6 is released and had record adoption Evad3rs have released Evasi0n!

The untethered jailbreak process is very easy but you need to be WARNED that you do so at your own risk and will void the warranty. Also, there apps like DIRECTV that will not work on a jailbroken device yet. There are other developers creating apps to fix this issue, but right now there are some apps that will not work on a jailbroken device. Just be warned and we are not responsible.

All you need to do is download the untethered jailbreak software from any one of long list of mirrors and then connect to iTunes with your sync/data cable. Make sure your passcode lock is turned off. Then open Evasi0n and hit the Jailbreak button on the right hand side of the screen. Allow it to finish, then hit the new jailbreak icon on your device to apply the jailbreak software. Once it completes the process you are going to have the Cydia icon and store open before your eyes! On another note, be sure not to run any other applications on your PC while you are jailbreaking your device. Allow everything to complete first.

There you have it! Untethered Jailbreak and Cydia are now yours!

Head on over to Evasi0n.com to download.