Tag Archives | Smartphones

Yes, You Can File Your Taxes on Your Smartphone

Posted by Ed Oswald on January 17, 2011 at 9:53 pm

Three things are certain in life: birth, death, and taxes. So why not turn the process of filing your taxes into a mobile app? That’s exactly what Intuit–makers of  TurboTax–have done with SnapTax. Available for both the iPhone and Android, anyone who is eligible to file a 1040EZ will be able to use the app to file from start to finish.

For those of us who are tax illiterate — 1040EZ users are those who make under $100,000, have no dependents, and are going to claim the standard deduction. Essentially the profile of the “mobile generation,” Intuit believes.

While the download is free, Intuit will charge a $14.99 fee to file the form electronically. SnapTax uses optical character recognition to “scan” W2 forms, making the process of data entry much easier. Like its big brother TurboTax, the user will always have a running tally of their refund (or, gasp, how much more Uncle Sam wants) during the process. It will also allow for the submission of state income taxes as well.

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LG and Windows Phone 7: High Expectations, Low Sales

Posted by Ed Oswald on January 14, 2011 at 11:06 am

Microsoft may have a problem on its hands if its partners feel free to publicly criticize its phone efforts like this. LG’s marketing and planning chief James Choi has gone on record with Pocket-lint saying that Windows Phone 7 sales have been disappointing for the company.

Choi claims that the company had high hopes for the new mobile OS at the beginning. While he stressed that LG had been working with Microsoft “since the beginning” and WP7 is “absolutely perfect” for some mobile users out there, he lamented that “the first push wasn’t what everyone expected.”

While Choi seems to walk the fine line between saying that the launch really failed to grab consumers’ attention and playing the role of the loyal partner, it just seems odd that this early out of the gate that Microsoft’s partners feel free enough to say something like this. It certainly does not help the Redmond company’s cause at all.

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How To: Prepare to Switch from AT&T to Verizon

Posted by David Chartier on January 11, 2011 at 7:50 pm

[Note: This post republished with permission from our pals at Macworld.]

Has the flame fizzled out of your relationship with AT&T? Was it originally love at first sight, but now you’ve caught yourself eyeing that new iPhone Verizon just announced? Don’t worry, our love affairs with gadgets and wireless carriers are often fleeting, and the only thing at risk of getting hurt is your wallet. If you’re looking to switch from AT&T for Verizon’s new iPhone 4, here’s how you can do it.

I’ll try to answer a few general questions before we get into details. First, you should be able to bring your current phone number to Verizon if you’re switching from AT&T. It’s the law. You might even be able to bring your home phone number, too.

Also, as with all wireless carriers, if you signed a contract to get your phone for cheaper than its full retail price, AT&T charges an early termination fee (ETF) if you want to break that contract early. But whether you’re going to cut the AT&T chord or you’re a free spirit with no obligations, let’s start preparing you for a Verizon iPhone.
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Verizon iPhone Arrives: Is Android in Trouble?

Posted by JR Raphael on January 11, 2011 at 4:31 pm

[Note: This article republished courtesy of our pals at PCWorld.]

Ladies and gentlemen, the day has finally arrived: The Verizon iPhone is officially a reality.

No joke: Unlike the past 7.2 billion times the iPhone’s Verizon launch was absolutely, definitely confirmed to be imminent, Apple’s prized product is actually making its way to Big Red this go-round. The iPhone 4 will become available to current Verizon Wireless subscribers on February 3, with orders opening up to everyone else a week later.

Naturally, the Internet is brimming with reactions and predictions, many of which include the inevitable cries of “Sayonara, Android!” — a suggestion that the iPhone’s expansion will mark the end of Android’s impressive growth streak in the U.S. mobile market. Now, I know the tech world loves nothing more than finding a new reason to toss the hyperbolic “killer” label around (I’m still waiting for Facebook’s messaging service to deliver that final deathblow to Gmail, by the way), but let’s take a moment to put things in perspective.

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Verizon iPhone Won't Fit Many Existing iPhone 4 Cases

Posted by Harry McCracken on January 11, 2011 at 12:56 pm

[Note: This post republished with permission from our pals at Macworld.]

Although the iPhone offerings from AT&T and Verizon may look the same, they’re just different enough that you’ll need to be careful when buying a case or similar accessories.

The big news of the day, of course, is that Verizon Wireless customers will soon—finally—be able to get the iPhone on their carrier of choice. And during Verizon’s big media event announcing the arrival of the iPhone, both Verizon and Apple emphasized that this was the same iPhone we’ve all come to know so intimately—thanks, in part, to controversies over the iPhone 4’s antenna design and back surface.

But it turns out there are a couple minor physical differences, and those differences are just enough to affect the Verizon iPhone’s compatibility with some of the thousands of iPhone 4 cases out there.

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What's the Difference Between the AT&T and Verizon iPhone?

Posted by Daniel Ionescu on January 11, 2011 at 11:14 am

[Note: This article republished courtesy of our pals at PCWorld.]

It’s official: Apple and Verizon announced the iPhone 4 will finally land on the country’s largest carrier starting February 10. The Verizon iPhone costs just as much as the AT&T iPhone, and the phones have virtually identical feature sets. However, there are a few differences you should keep in mind when choosing an iPhone from one of the two carriers.

The basic difference between the Verizon and the AT&T iPhone is the antenna inside. The Verizon iPhone is compatible with the 3G EV-DO standard (not 4G LTE despite the carrier’s huge launch of 4G-compatible devices at CES), with data download speeds of up to 1.4Mbps. The AT&T iPhone is compatible with the UMTS standard, which can achieve download speeds of up to 3Mbps. Check out the differences between the AT&T and Verizon iPhone at a glance < on the chart below.

Because the Verizon iPhone is not based on the latest 4G LTE standard, the AT&T iPhone can theoretically achieve faster download speeds than the Verizon model. However, AT&T’s network is not as reliable as Verizon’s in many places across the country, so the speed you would actually get on either of the phones depends mainly on where you live and how good the coverage is in your area.

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The Verizon iPhone: It's a Verizon iPhone!

Posted by Harry McCracken on January 11, 2011 at 9:47 am


In the end, today’s Verizon “Latest News” event was pretty much what just about everybody expected it would be: the launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless’s CDMA network. (My best guesses about the event were mostly accurate, although I said I thought Steve Jobs would be here–Apple COO Tim Cook was instead–and Verizon hasn’t announced anything at all about data plan pricing, let alone whether unlimited data will be available. And the predictions of late-January availability were a tad off: Current Verizon customers will be able to pre-order on February 3rd, and everyone else will need to wait until the phone goes on sale on February 10th.)

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