Sprint Evo 4G Lands on June 4th, RIAA Crushes Limewire in Copyright Case
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
- HTC's's much-hyped Evo 4G for Sprint officially arrives June 4th, with a $199 post-rebate price. Yesterday, Sprint revealed the model's default specs, which include a 1-gigahertz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, video chat capabilities and an 8-gigabyte SD card. The phone also awesomely lets users link up to eight other devices via its Wi-Fi signal.
- In what could be a devastating case for peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks, a U.S. District Judge has ruled for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in its legal dispute with Limewire. Judge Kimba M. Wood determined that the P2P service has not actively combated the "substantial amount of copyright infringement" that takes place on the site. Following suit with its other exorbitant (and ridiculous) demands, the RIAA wants up to $150,000 per infringement as recompense. [From: Wired]
- Despite waning support from the over-34 crowd, Facebook still experienced tremendous growth -- in terms of user activity -- during 2010. According to the stat wizards at Nielsen, usage of the site climbed by 69-percent. Twitter experienced a gain of 45-percent, while MySpace continued its descent into social networking oblivion as activity declined for at least the third year in a row. [From: Nielsen Wire]
- Facebook hosted another significant increase during the first quarter of 2010, as the site reportedly ranked number one among all websites in terms of displayed advertisements. The site subjected its users to 176.3 billion ad banners during the period, with Yahoo!'s distant 131.6 billion ranking second. Facebook still needs to translate those annoyances into revenue, though, as Yahoo! earned $6.5 billion from its sponsors, compared to the relatively paltry estimated total of $1 billion for Facebook. [From: All Facebook]
- The Boxee media center provides a "compelling" and seamless method for users to combine social networking, music listening and video streaming. The company just announced that it is also implementing a payment system so that users will be able to purchase "premium content" not only from their desktops, but also from their mobile gadgets. [From: Engadget]
- According to Kaspersky (the folks who gave us Jackie Chan kicking virus-butt from a Segway), Facebook is not only the most popular social networking site, but also the most popular in terms of phishing attacks. The site came in fourth overall, with PayPal and eBay claiming the top two spam spots. [From: Kaspersky]
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentsjharper12May 13th 2010 6:06PM
Time to rename your plans Sprint. Simply Everything Data from Sprint... should be, "Simply Everything Data, with the exception of Premium Data" from Sprint.
By the by, Dan Hesse lied. He said on March 24th at the CTIA conference that the 4G connection for the phone itself wouldn't cost extra. I always suspected the hotspot function would cost more, didn't expect $30 more, because I can get the same thing from Clear for $25.
johnn2010May 14th 2010 11:59AM
I AM OUTRAGED AT SPRINT!
The $10 fee is MANDATORY on the EVO whether you have 4G in your area or not. I was so excited about getting the EVO and in fact I was the first to to Pre-ordered one at my local Best Buy yesterday and I am sure won’t be the first or last to cancel that pre-order out of principle. I live in NYC and we don’t have 4G so I am canceling my order because in principle, Sprint is ripping people off. I’m a 16 yr. sprint customer w 4 lines and a USB Broadband card. I’m becoming a new Verizon customer soon after my contract expires and getting the Palm Pre Plus that comes with the MiFi feature FREE and no mandatory $10/month complete robbery Sprint fee since I don’t even have 4G in my area. It’s a matter of principle. Sprint is robbing it’s loyal customers and making new Verizon customers. Just my 2 cents.
People, please read this with an open mind: you may be a loyal fan of Sprint (I myself am a loyal customer for 16 yrs) but please stay objective and realize that Sprint is RIPPING you off! The $10 Fee again is MANDATORY whether you live in a 4G area or NOT! Sprint is ARBITRARILY charging it’s most enthusiastic base…the early adopters a fee that is completely unjustified because if you don’t live in a 4G area and therefore DO NOT have 4G service, why are you being charged a $10 surcharge just because you are an enthusiast and want the latest and greatest phone???? Sprint is holding all enthusiasts hostage! Furthermore, Verizon includes it’s MiFi functionality on the Palm Pre Plus for FREE!!!! Sprint wants to nail you for $30 plus TAXES! and the $10 MANDATORY fee! Wake up!!!!! You are being ROBBED!!!!! Please write to Sprint and let them know that as loyal Sprint subscribers and enthusiasts, please don’t rob us Sprint!
(Unverified)May 16th 2010 4:11PM
Try to get the same features that you get with Sprint from any other carrier at the same price. I have been with every other carrier on the market, including Verizon and in my opinion, they are the worst! They have horrible customer service and their plans are much more $ than Sprint with less to offer. I am very happy Sprint has finally come out with the Evo. I was considering switching to At&t-who also does not offer the same great plans that you can get with Sprint, but they have one of the hottest phones on the market. I hope this is a big one for Sprint, and will gladly pay the extra $10.00!
bvalentineMay 17th 2010 3:14PM
Sprint is price gouging families with an interest in the EVO. Here is how:
If your like me, you want an Android phone and your spouse just wants a basic phone without data. Sprint is attempting to rip off customers like us with the EVO plans. For this scenario, Sprint is $40 more expensive than Verizon, $50 more expensive than AT&T and $65 more expensive than TMobile and on a monthly basis when you go with the cheapest family plan. Sprint is closer to the other carriers on the individual plans but still $10 more expensive (the EVO "premium data" BS).
They will tell you that you are going to use more data with the EVO and that is why they need the extra $10, but 4G is anything but widespread right now and they are not going to let you get away without paying the $10 if 4g is not available in your area. So Sprint is really just searching for ways to squeeze more money out of you. Either that, or they know they can't handle a large amount of data users.
Here are the monthly costs for individuals and families looking for the cheapest way to get a single Android phone or the EVO in Sprint's case. Because of these prices, I will wait for either the Samsung Galaxy S which has a 4" AMOLED screen among other things. Besides in the Android world, a better phone is announced every month. The EVO is a beautiful phone that should be a big hit. Unfortunately Sprint got involved and is holding all of that great hardware for a hefty ransom. If Sprint doesn't correct their family plan pricing, I'll wait a short time for the next great Android phone.
Sprint data is a compilation of 3 online chats with Sprint customer service and two in store visits. The other numbers are from shopping carts online.
Sprint
---------------------------
Individual:
$70 for 450 min voice including data
$10 for the EVO
$80 Total
Family:
$130 2 lines sharing 1500 min voice including data
$10 for the EVO
$140 Total
Verizon
---------------------------
Individual:
$40 for 450 min of voice
$30 data
$70 Total
Family:
$70 2 lines sharing 700 min voice
$30 data for 1 of those phones
$100 Total
T-Mobile
---------------------------
Individual:
$30 for 500 min voice
$25 for data
$55 Total
Family:
$50 2 lines sharing 750 min voice
$25 data for 1 of the phones
$75 Total
AT&T
---------------------------
Individual:
$40 for 450 min voice
$30 for data
$70 Total
Family:
$60 2 lines sharing 550 min voice
$30 data for 1 of the phones
$90 Total