REPORT: Amazon Is Making A Smartphone That It Wants To Give Away For Free (AMZN)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/free-amazon-smartphone-2013-9

Amazon wants to give its upcoming smartphone away for free, according to former WSJ reporters Amir Efrati and Jessica Lessin.

It's unclear when the phone will launch, but Efrati and Lessin say it will likely be sold directly through Amazon's website. Amazon will also reportedly give away the phone for free even if you don't sign a contract with your wireless carrier.

So how will Amazon make money on a free smartphone? That's still not clear, but Efrati and Lessin hint that customers may be required to sign up for an Amazon Prime account when they get the phone. Amazon Prime costs $79 per year, and it gives you free two-day shipping on several items and access to thousands of streaming TV shows and movies through Amazon Instant.

But Lessin and Efrati still hedge a bit in their report. At least one source tells them Amazon may not be able to pull off a free smartphone because it would require special deals with hardware suppliers.

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drag2share: Forward Spam Text Messages to 7726 to Report Them

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/BSkH3XjEoJo/forward-spam-text-messages-to-7726-to-report-them-1257920045

Ever get a text message that appears to be spam, but you don't really know what to do with it? It turns out, most carriers will let you report it by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM).

We've talked about how to block unwanted text messages before, but this is one small tip we didn't know about until recently. It turns out, many carriers (including the big four US carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) let you report spam messages by forwarding them to 7726. It won't necessarily stop the messages from coming to you right away, but like reporting spam in Gmail, it'll help them filter those messages for everyone in the future. Thanks for the tip, Josh!

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You're Invited to Experiment With the Internet's First Quantum Computer

Source: http://gizmodo.com/youre-invited-to-experiment-with-the-internets-first-1263621119

Eventually, quantum computers are going to be super powerful, but first we have to figure out how to use them. It's hard. Soon, aspiring quantum programmers will be able to try their experiments out for real on the world's first quantum computer in the cloud.

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Eyes-on with Samsung's 31.5-inch 4K PC monitor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/06/samsungs-4k-31-5-inch-monitor-eyes-on/

Samsung's continuing the UHD TV march here at IFA with plenty of sets, but it's also showing a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) 31.5-inch monitor that's built to sit on your desktop. Crisp images deliver on the Ultra High Definition promise, but the colors are particularly vibrant, due in part to the LED panel's ability to reproduce 1.07 billion colors and pictures that can cram in 99 percent of Adobe's RGB color spectrum. Because of that, the set easily distances itself from others that have flat, dull image reproduction. However, viewing angles leave something to be desired, as standing far off to the side clouds the monitor. Not only does this piece of kit churn out good imagery, but it easily tilts and pivots into a vertical position, to boot. When it comes to connectivity, the screen packs four USB ports and slots for HDMI, DVI-DL and DPX2. If you're ready to hook up this display to your PC, there will be some waiting involved -- no pricing or release details have been divulged. If you'd like to gawk at the firm's hardware, look out below for our gallery.%Gallery-slideshow83282%

Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Displays, HD, Samsung

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Extra-large Nokia Lumia 1520 surfaces in press image

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/06/nokia-lumia-1520-press-image-surfaces/

Want a clear look at Nokia's Lumia 1520 (aka Bandit)? You may just have it. After posting a screen capture earlier in the week, @evleaks has released what's reportedly a press image of the super-sized, 1080p Windows Phone. The render largely matches what we've seen before, including the additional Live Tiles on the home screen, but the back is new. It suggests that there will be a Lumia 925-style camera hump -- sorry, no 41-megapixel sensor here -- along with aesthetics borrowed from other members of the Lumia family. There's no guarantee that this image is real, but we won't be surprised if it accurately represents Nokia's last flagship before Microsoft takes the reins.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

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