Google to Sell HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus Through Google Play in the U.S. for $399
Google announced today that it is bringing back its straight-to-consumer sales channel for the Galaxy Nexus. The first Nexus, the Nexus One, was sold for $529 directly to consumers, and was available in both an AWS and UMTS model. The Galaxy Nexus, which is being sold under the new SKU ‘takju’ (as opposed to ‘yakju’ and ‘yakjux’), will retail for an incredibly low $399, undercutting many of the top-of-the-line Android devices available in the United States.
MobileSyrup
Oppo Teases 6.65mm-Thick Smartphone, About To Steal 'World's Thinnest' Title From Huawei
China-based Oppo is back again with yet another smartphone, only this time there's no pretty girl teasing Mr. DiCaprio. Instead, what we have here is an exclusive leak that shows off a 6.65mm-thick device -- just 0.03mm thinner than the Ascend P1 S from local rival Huawei. In other words, if all goes well then Oppo will have us the world's slimmest smartphone.
Engadget
Facebook Makes Android Apps More Viral With Social Discovery
Facebook has been in the process of ramping up its effort to leverage its ever-growing platform to aid mobile developers to market their native and HTML5-based apps. In this attempt to extend its platform on mobile, Facebook brought its social channels and social app discovery to mobile web apps on Android and native apps on iOS. With a new update to Facebook for Android, the social network today announced that it is bringing social discovery to native Android apps.
TechCrunch
What Apple's Spectacular Earnings Mean For Phone Carriers
This week Apple and the major carriers are announcing their latest financial figures. This quarter saw a slight decrease from last year but the numbers are still spectacular. Verizon and AT&T sold 7.5 million iPhones combined - 64.1% of all smartphones sold. Smartphones in the U.S. have reached an inflection point where sales are not directly affected only by times of year or market saturation. What does this mean for the operators? In simple terms: more data plans.
ReadWriteWeb