Hey Guys, Guess What? WE MOVED!

My apologies for not coming back and saying something sooner but we've managed to move the site to a new location under Wordpress.com. We also changed the name of our site as well. We are no longer going under "Mobile Kombat" but we are now The Tech Messenger! Come check out the new look and everything and let us know what you like, don't like, and what you would like added. Here's a link for you guys to come on over and check us out:  http://thetechmessenger.com/

Please let us know what you think of the new look and everything. We are still making some more changes because of the move but if you have any tips or advice please be sure to drop us a thought or two in our mailbox in our contact page. Thanks for the support guys, and when we finish the updates to the site we will be shutting this one down. Please also check out our fan page @ facebook.com/The-Tech-Messenger and become a fan. We update the site on a weekly basis so come check that out as well. Thanks for all the support and stay tuned as we make more updates and changes.

Overview: The HTC Inspire 4G

I can honestly say that I can never get tired of hearing about more Android phones popping up all over the place. HTC especially has been cranking out phone after phone with no stopping in sight. Their latest is the HTC Inspire 4G. This is another smartphone packing a lot of heat in the specs department and I must say that HTC is impressing me very much as of late.

 Its running Android 2.2 and has a 1ghz Snapdragon Processor meaning that you definitely won't have an issue with speed. Its been released on the AT&T network and its been priced at $99.99 with a two year contract. It's also coming equipped with a 8 mega pixel camera with LED flash and a 720p camcorder for HD recording. Here's a few pictures and a full spec release from HTC after the break.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Coming Soon

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play aka the Playstation phone is coming! This could very well be a big deal in the smartphone world. The Xperia Play is a true gaming phone and the specs on this phone are pretty impressive. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has the following specs:

Microsoft and Nokia Elop(e)!

We now pronounce you, Phone and OS. On February 11th, CEO's Stephen Elop and Stephen Ballmer announced that both Nokia and Microsoft have entered into a cellular partnership. Nokia will begin to use WindowsPhone 7 as the primary OS for their smartphones, in place of Symbian. Gradually, through 2011 and 2012, Symbian phones will be completely phased out. Nokia's development of Meego will become an "open source project" with an emphasis on exploring future market opportunities.

Motorola XOOM priced at $1,199.99?

Seems a bit much for a tablet expecting to go toe to toe with the iPad, but Best Buy has posted that the price tag is accurate for the new Honeycomb powered tablet. Android 3.0 is the premier OS that will be featured on the tablet and its hoped that the Android tablet will be in direct competition with the Apple's iPad.

AT&T offering 1,000 Rollover minutes to loyal iPhone customers

Competition is a great thing. The Internet is atwitter with reports that AT&T is, without provocation, offering its loyal iPhone customers an additional 1,000 Rollover minutes via text message. What makes you worthy of this offering? We’re not quite sure. What we do know is that texting the word “yes” to 11113020 will help expedite the process… if you know what we mean. Give it a try and cash in, you deserve it.

Source: Engadget.com

- DezHuez

Good News: HTC Thunderbolt Gains Root Access

If your looking for another reason to use your upgrade from Verizon or use all the lunch money you saved to prepare for the release of the HTC Thunderbolt, then here's another definitely good reason to get it. The good folks at XDAforums have managed to do something that most of us Android users have been hoping for since we got wind of all the new phones coming out this year. They have rooted the phone!

iPhone 4...Mini??

Apple is said to be working on a new smaller, less expensive version of the iPhone, according to a new report from Bloomberg today. This new model would be in the $200 range and be about a third smaller than the current iPhone 4. With a lower price point, cellular providers could then give customers the choice of either paying for the phone at full price without a contract or give the phone away for free with a two-year contract.

Currently, Apple has 16 percent of the global mobile market share, while rival Google’s market share has more than tripled to 32.9 percent in the fourth quarter. With a new low-cost iPhone, Apple hopes to increase its overall market share worldwide and surpass Google in the process.

Verizon iPhone Unleashed...and No One Showed Up To Get One?

Verizon finally got what they had been striving for, jumping through hoops and over hurdles with the giants at Apple to gain the fantastic device known as the iPhone...and no one came out to get one. A lot of reports have been circulating that the retail stores that have the iPhone device in stock, didn't have the swarm of crazed iPhone fans and AT&T jumpers that they thought they were going to have. If you think about it though, there are some really good reasons that people would not rush out of their houses to gang up on stores to get the device.

Overview: The Blackberry 4G Playbook

In the world today, tablets are starting to take over in the realm of new technology....and its definitely not a bad thing. These powerful devices are making headlines left and right and the newest one to enter the ring is none other than the Blackberry Playbook. The device is definitely looking to make an impact in the tablet arena and I think it just might be able to do that with the specs that this thing is pushing out. Check out the specs on this machine:

Verizon's First Call Over LTE Successful!

Hooray! Good news indeed to all Verizon/Android users. Now we have another reason to laugh at iPhone users still trapped on AT&T. 02/08/2011 is that date that marks the first successful call made over the Verizon 4G LTE network. The place, Basking Ridge, NJ, is the location. Two Verizon employees in the area placed the call and it was successful!

VZW Says No Take Backs, Delays Thunderbolt

The HTC Thunderbolt has been the hot topic for the past few days, especially with its imminent release date being chucked around like nobody's business as of late. Many rumors have surrounded why the device has yet to have a steady release date most recently being that the 4G Mobile Hotspot feature wasn't ready and that Skype's video chat wasn't ready on launch day. Now while these don't seem like big deals because they could be added with OTA updates, a new one has hit the ground, but I think this one is a little more believable.

Possible Antenna Problems On Verizon iPhone 4's...dum, dum, dummm!!

You'd think that after protracted debacle of the AT&T iPhone 4's attenuation problems, Apple would have made absolutely certain to fix the issue completely before the Verizon version hit. But iLounge may be proving otherwise. Antennagate 2.0?

To be fair, this hasn't been a widely reported issue either in reviews or by word of mouth. So let's take this video—convincing demonstration though it is—with a grain of salt. Like you needed another reason to wait for iPhone 5 anyway. Follow the link after the story.

Source: iLounge.com


- DezHuez

Big Red Sold Either 100K or 500K iPhones On "Soft" Presale Day

The game of guesstimating sales. Or what we should refer to as analysts offering an educated guess in terms of how many units a company has sold when that particular company is vague in terms of numbers. Of course, by that we are referring to Verizon and their “most successful first day sales” announcement for the iPhone 4.

VZW 4G Pricing: $29.99 For Unlimited Plan

Finally some news on the data plans! Droid-life broke this wide open with a reliable source on their end coming in with some good news on the subject. The good news is that the plan could come in at $29.99 which is great news for Verizon customers. Remember also that the current data plan for 3G is also $29.99, so there may be no real change. They also mentioned that this could change when the 4G network finally gets to be fully nationwide. Any changes could happen once everything is up and running with the new phones hitting the market and going 4G.

Drop Your Droids....For iPhones?

Now for all you guys out there on Verizon, don't get upset. If you were smart then you already knew that this was going to happen. Why? Well for starters, the iPhone is a brand that will sell in the market at a fast pace. Remember, the main draw to the iPhone on Verizon is the network. A reliable network with one of the powerhouse phones that have had lots of success despite being plagued with network problems on AT&T. With the release of the iPhone on Verizon, it was only natural that everyone would hop on the iPhone bandwagon and try to get an iPhone despite some having to pay way out of pocket to get one.

Verizon iPhone Broke All To Pieces

"You didn’t think the jailbreak community would leave the Verizon iPhone be did you? BlogsDNA and lots of others have posted the Verizon iPhone with Cydia running nicely over the last few hours." Thats what we got from the good folks at 9to5Mac. Looks like the iPhone community wasted no time cracking the Verizon iPhone, huh?

Source: 9to5Mac

- DezHuez

Naked Verizon iPhone...Rated XXX

Wait...the kids asleep??? Great...lets see what she has going on under the pretty glass:

Well what do we have here. A fresh iFixit tear-down of the Verizon iPhone has yielded a surprise: Apple included the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip; a chip that supports high-speed HSPA and CDMA frequencies.

AT&T's "Answer" To Verizon's iPhone Ad

No this isn't a new Allen Iverson shoe ad. AT&T released their first iPhone ad directly targeting the Verizon iPhone. It's appropriately titled "Answer" and shows a husband having forgotten to make dinner reservations for their anniversary. The man does a search for "fine dining" while on the phone with his wife. The commercial concludes with:
"Only AT&T's network lets your iPhone talk and surf at the same time."

A BlackBerry Minus the Qwerty Keyboard Equals the Curve Touch?

BlackBerry’s low end entry to the CDMA smartphone realm, the Curve Touch, while yet unofficial (this phone was leaked to CrackBerry.com under the codename “malibu”) is further evidence that RIM is taking a new approach to it’s hardware; an approach much more in line with companies like HTC, Motorola and Apple.