Mobile Miscellany: week of July 1st, 2013 - Engadget

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, Simple Mobile changed its low-cost plans for the better and actionable notifications in BlackBerry 10.2 were shown off in a video walkthrough. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of June 1st, 2013.

Simple Mobile intros 500MB tiers for domestic and international calling

Simple Mobile changed its plans for the better this week, which now offers 500MB of unthrottled data on its $40 unlimited plan, rather than the previous 250MB. In addition, the MVNO also introduced a new unlimited international calling plan for $50, which also includes 500MB of unthrottled data. These changes aside, the carrier's pricing and offerings remain unchanged... which still stand as one of the better deals for users of unlocked phones. [Simple Mobile]

Actionable notifications shown in BlackBerry 10.2 walkthrough video

Following up to this week's leak of BlackBerry 10.2, one member of CrackBerry forums has created a quick walkthrough of the latest OS, which includes a look at actionable notifications and priority contacts. For the time being, it seems that responding to notifications is a bit cumbersome. First, you must touch a small arrow button to pull up the reply window, and messages can't be sent from the keyboard. Naturally, this implementation may change by the final build, but it stands as our best peek yet of what's to come. [CrackBerry]

Bing Audio extends to 14 new markets

Microsoft's recognition engine for music, known simply as Bing Audio, made its way to 14 new countries this week, which comes as good news for Windows Phone across the globe. The service is similar in functionality to Shazam, SoundHound and Google Sound Search, and is now available in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. The latest deployment follows launches in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US, which now puts Bing Audio at 22 countries strong. [Windows Phone Blog]

Other random tidbits

• Emulator support for 1080p displays on Windows Phone was recently uncovered in the preview release of Visual Studio 2013. [WMPoweruser]
• The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is now available at Three UK, which can be snagged for ?350 outright, or free on all plans of ?26 or more. [Android Central]
• Mobile by Sainsbury's was announced this week as a joint venture between the UK grocer and Vodafone. The brand will launch later this summer, and tap into the retail channels of Sainsbury's, which currently stands as the third largest supermarket chain in the UK. [J Sainsbury]
• The entry-level BlackBerry Q5 is now available at O2 in Germany for ?389 outright, or from just ?29 on contract. [CrackBerry]
• Bell and Telus are now selling the BlackBerry Q10 in white, which is available for $199 on contract. [CrackBerry]
• According to MobileSyrup, Fido will carry the Sony Xperia SP... just like its parent company, Rogers. While pricing and a release date remain unknown, Fido stores are now receiving dummy units of the Xperia SP. [MobileSyrup]
• The HTC Butterfly S arrived in Hong Kong this week, which sells for HK $6,198 ($799). [Engadget Chinese (translated)]

Must-read mobile stories

[Mobile Miscellany photo credit: Thristian / Flickr]

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/06/mobile-miscellany/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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