The Motorola Droid Mini can be purchased at a reduced price starting at one penny, saving you up to $49.98 over carrier prices.

The phone also recently was reduced to one penny on contract, available at select online retail outlets at that price. The Motorola Droid Mini was designed to be compact, slim and light, as opposed to many of the current smartphones which are huge, heavy and bulky. However, the “mini” in the device’s name does not refer to the display. The designers at Motorola Mobility released the Droid Mini 4G alongside the Droid Ultra and Droid MAXX, each phone representing a different characteristic.

The Ultra is ultra-slim, and the MAXX leads the mobile marketplace in battery life. The Motorola Droid Mini focuses on being the smallest possible handset while still delivering a large high-resolution display, slim profile and excellent battery life. The Droid Mini runs on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network in the United States, a system that, with over 440 markets covered, is the largest such network in North America. Powering the slim and compact phone is what Motorola is calling the X8 Mobile Computing System.

This is a uniquely arranged set of processing cores found on the Droid Mini which revolves around a dual core Snapdragon S4 Pro which has been clocked at 1.7 GHz. But that CPU uniquely focuses on your more important and intensive requests and processes, allowing six other processing cores to help handle low draw, everyday tasks. That means that the versatile quad core graphics processor, standalone language processing core and separate contextual computing cores all help free up the CPU from running mundane and simple smartphone tasks.

Iqbal Arshad is Motorola’s senior vice president of engineering, and he stated that this unique chip setup helps speed up the central processor, but also aids in extending battery life. This allows the Motorola Droid Mini to deliver a generous 28.0 hours of talk time from a single battery charge. The phone measures just 0.35 inches (8.9 mm) in thickness, and weighs only 4.59 ounces (130 g), while still delivering a large 4.30 inch True HD display. 16 GB of data storage is pre-installed, as is 2.0 GB of RAM system memory. The Droid Mini can be purchased at a discounted price tag now starting at just one penny.

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The Verizon Motorola Moto X is also available at a reduced sale price at select online retailers starting at $19.99 at select online retailers.

Part game and part cartoon, the slapstick interactive film was created by Jan Pinkava, the co-director of Pixar’s popular animated film Ratatouille. The technology built into the short film allows you to control the camera using your Moto X smartphone. By holding the phone up and moving around, you can look at the main character, what’s behind him, what’s below him and where he is walking. The camera control can be a little shaky if you move too quickly, but as a cartoon short and a free gift to Moto X owners, it is rather enjoyable, interactive fun. We have included an excerpt for you to see here:

For its being Motorola’s first attempt at an interactive movie, Windy Day is well done, and as a surprise for Moto X owners is a nice move by Motorola. After the release, Motorola announced that its built-in Spotlight app would be used to deliver more interactive short films in the future. The Moto X debuted on August 23 of this year, launching the Motorola X8 hardware package, a camera improvement, a True HD display and substantial RAM memory.

The Moto X smartphone also delivers excellent pixel density to its 4.70 inch AMOLED screen, delivering more than 16 million colors at the rate of 316 pixels per inch. The 10 megapixel camera built into the back of the phone is the first from Motorola to use their Clear Pixel technology, which can absorb more light, making low-light camera operation possible. The multitouch capacitive screen delivers a resolution of 720 by 1,280 pixels, and is protected against everyday wear and tear with a layer of scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass.

Talk time runs approximately 13.0 hours after a full battery charge, and the dual core CPU has been clocked at 1.7 GHz. A standalone natural language processing core and individual contextual computing core join a powerful quad core graphics processor in sharing some low energy and everyday operations, freeing the central processor up to focus on your more important requests. 16 GB of built-in storage is present, and Motorola has gifted Moto X users with an additional 50 GB of free Google Drive virtual storage space. 2.0 GB of RAM memory is on board, and the rear facing camcorder provides video capture at 1,080P HD resolution and in stereo sound. You can also purchase the Verizon Motorola Moto X handset at a discounted price tag at select online retailers starting at $19.99.

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Dell engineers have been working to solve the issue and claim the process has been changed to eliviate the pungent smell.  If you have owned a cat that would not remember where the litter way, you know exactly the smell that consumers are complaining about.  If you never had the liberty of smelling the horrible odor, considering yourself lucky and go from there.  Dell users posted things like, “A few weeks ago I got a new Lattitude 6430u for work, the machine is great, but it smells as if it was assembled near a tomcat’s litter box. It is truly awful!”

Another user claimed that they “Thought for sure one of my cats sprayed it, but there was something faulty with it so I had it replaced. The next one had the same exact issue. It’s embarrassing taking it to clients because it smells so bad.”  Dell support was trying to help users before knowing what the problem was, advising that consumers clean the laptop air vents with compressed air, but the odor did not go away with that solution.  One customer came forward claiming that a polymer used in the production of the laptop could be to blame.

After a short investigation, Dell found that the problem was not hazardous saying the “The smell is not related to cat urine or any other type of biological contaminant, nor is it a health hazard.”  New orders placed for the laptop will not have the issue, however, if you own a smelly one, you can return the unit to Dell for a placement palm rest.  News about the problem spread like wild fire on sites like Reddit and others.  Dell is still trying to win back fans loyal to the brand with new products, but this is not going to help the short term.

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LG is bringing the G Flex and its 6-inch OLED curved display with a 1280×720 resolution to the market and it is most likely in response to the curved Galaxy Round from Samsung that was announced just one week before this one was rumored.  The Galaxy Round has a display that is curved from side to side, while the G Flex’s display is curved from top to bottom.  The phone feels more ergonomic based on early reviews and some claim the curved display gives an IMAX-like experience when viewing videos on it, but that is not the only feature worth talking about.

According to LG, the G Flex also comes with a back side that will “self heal” and allows users to remove scratches in a matter of minutes.  The scratch resistant film on the back side will allow for those small scratches to be repaired to factory by the user keeping the style of the device a live for a long time compared to other devices.  LG also announced that the G Flex will be able to record high-quality audio.  Inside the G Flex is the super fast, quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM.

Other specs and features of the new curved smartphone include 32GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for storage, support for NFC and LTE-Advanced, plus connectivity for HSPA+ networks.  The camera is a 13MP model on the back side with a smaller, 2.1MP web cam on the front side of the device.  Volume and power control buttons can be found on the back side of the device, just like the LG G2.  Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean will be installed on the device out of the box, along with a custom user interface.  Other features unique to LG include “Swing Lockscreen” and “Dual Window”.

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Other carriers like AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have already announced the iPad Air and they will start to sell the new tablet on the 1st of November, so those of you on the US Cellular network will have to wait just another week before you can enjoy the same.  The 8th of November is also the same date that US Cellular plans to launch the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C for its 4G LTE network.  If you are thinking about getting the new iPad Air, you will have to wait until the 8th as US Cellular said that there will not be any pre-order period.

Other carriers are also announcing that there will not be any pre-orders and that goes with the rumors that Apple could be on short supply for the new tablets making the demand even higher even before the device goes on sale.  US Cellular also announced a variety of data plans that can be used with the iPad Air that will appeal to the new 4G LTE network.  The company did not mention the iPad Mini 2 with Retina display, but it only makes sense to offer all of the new Apple devices at the same time.

The new iPad Air comes with some serious improvements over the fourth generation including a slimmer design that resembles the popular iPad Mini and is actually 20 percent lighter if that is even possible.  The new tablet also comes with the new A7, dual-core processor with 64-bit support and is the first of its kind in the mobile marketplace.  The iSight camera hardware and software is also new, plus the device will ship with iOS 7 pre-installed and the option for 4G LTE support of course.

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The first one said, “Everybody dance now!” and is easily noticed as part of the popular dance song from the C+C Music Factory.  Some might not know that the band was originally known as The 28th Street Crew and even though the number 28 is used there, it might be a stretch to associate the two with the release of new Android software.  Then you see the second tweet that shows an image with KitKat’s candies spelling the words “This is it”, which is a reference to the Michael Jackson movie, which was originally released on the 28th of October.

The dates do line up with the days that the Nexus 4 arrived on the market as well, which was October 29th, 2012.  It could be possible that consumers will see the Nexus 5 on the same day that Android 4.4 KitKat is released, but the odds are better that at least the software will finally be ready for download on Nexus branded devices.  Google has been saying since the Nexus 4 showed up that any Nexus branded device will be the first to get eh newest Android operating system software when it is officially released to the public.

Google is not shy about using puzzles and teasers to cause a frenzy over a new product, but for right now the cryptic tweets are keeping the buzz alive and will until Google makes an official announcement.  Over the last month or more, dates that were tossed around included the 23rd or the 31st of October.  The 23rd would be right after the release of the new Apple products which have been getting plenty of press, but Google is likely going to even try and take attention away from Apple.  Either way, Google will be making things known very soon.

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The phablet market is getting crowded, but for the most part, those that are loyal to Samsung know that the Note series is the way to go, for now.  HTC and Nokia are looking to change that up a bit for consumers, especially since Nokia is bringing the first ever Windows Phone powered phablet to the market.  Both of the new smartphones include 6-inch displays so consumers are not going to confuse it as a tablet, but it will certainly be a toss up there.  There is no doubt that the Lumia 1520 is going to be the higher end device of the two, with the Lumia 1320 coming for those that want the larger display, but do not need the hardware performance.

The Lumia 1520 comes with the 6-inch display that also features 1080p HD resolution.  A wide angle web cam on the front and a 20MP camera on the back are also included with the 1520, while the overall design is similar to the Lumia 925.  Support for 4G LTE is also included, with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM all packed inside of the polycarbonate body.  One feature missing that some might though would be included is the wireless charging that Nokia is making quite famous in the mobile world.

The Lumia 1320 is going to be considered more of a mid-range device as the specs fall off a little bit after the 6-inch display.  The camera on the back side is only a 5MP version and it will come only 8GB on internal memory with microSD card for expansion.  A slower, dual-core Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM rounds out the main specs.  The Lumia 1520 costs $749.99 without contract, while the Lumia 1320 pricing was not mentioned.

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Google purchased FlexyCore for just $23 million and has good hopes after seeing its app DroidBooster, which has just been removed from the Google Play Store.  There is nothing to fear about the app being removed, Google most likely had that as part of the purchase deal in the first place.  The only hope is that Google will not develop its own optimizer app for the Android operating system and then offer it again in the Google Play Store.  FlexyCore was founded just five years ago and was focused on optimizing Android for carriers and manufacturers around the world.

The idea that users will get a better, more efficient Android operating system will make many happy as it proves that the software can run without draining the battery more than it needs to.  With battery life such an important part of the mobile world, it is nice to see companies coming forward to try and fix the issues.  The Google Android 4.4 KitKat software is reportedly going to be the best yet and will even bring a better overall experience to mid-range devices, when previously the higher end devices were going to enjoy better performance because of certain hardware.

Google will be moving forward with the company and making the software more efficient will only draw more attention to the Android powered devices that are on the market.  The move could easily add more market share to what Android already has, but the effects of the purchase might not be seen for about one year.  FlexyCore was not just focusing on the hardware and software inside high end devices, in fact the technology was being pitched as the chance to bring “high end performance to low end devices”.

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That is enough data to upload pictures to Instagram, or listen to about 300 hours of music while connected.  The free data plan comes without any obligation and T-Mobile is hoping that users will want to buy more data and other plans once they get used to the service.  Most of the tablets on the market today are not equipped with the radio for 4G LTE and are used on a Wi-Fi only basis, but for those that need the tablet computer ability while on the go, the plan is just right for them.  As long as the majority of your data comes via Wi-Fi network, the 200MB should be more than enough.

If you are looking to get a tablet with 4G LTE access you are looking to pay around $100 to $130 more for the device, then you have to pay for a monthly plan on top of that.  T-Mobile is hoping to get some attention on the LTE tablets that the company offers right now.  T-Mobile dropped the idea of a two year contract back in March of this year in a bold move to become the “unCarrier” on the market and the plan worked.  T-Mobile has seen an increase of subscribers for the first time in more than two years.

Total subscriber count was up more than 600,000 in the last quarter, which is a huge increase considering the company lost more than 580,000 the same quarter last year.  The free access to data each month is limited to those in the United States and those that are looking to buy more, can get an additional 500MB of data for just $10.  If you are not able to connect to the 4G LTE network, you can still get data at slower speeds until you are in the coverage area.

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One professional photographer, mobile photography artist Richard Dorman, thinks the Nokia Lumia 1020 has one of the most capable cameras he has ever used, whether on a smartphone or as a standalone device. He recently shared a few photography tips that will make you look like a professional mobile shutterbug. Follow the tips that Mister Dorman shares here and you will be squeezing every ounce of power out of your multitalented and very capable Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone camera.

Dorman owns an unbelievable 183 Nokia devices, and is the creator and owner of the mobile photography blog Onlyfoolsandmobiles.com. He says to freeze certain objects with a standard phone is impossible, but the Xenon flash on the Nokia Lumia 1020 provides visibility without obtaining a blurry image. To freeze things like running water, try simply turning the flash on. If the image is unacceptable, then set the exposure time to 1/125 seconds to remove any ambient light in the image.

For great landscape photos, use ISO and your exposure settings and bring the Nokia Lumia 1020 camera down, so you have a lower horizon. You can also use the high dynamic range (HDR) mode, and experiment for the best results. Speaking of HDR, you can use it to dramatically highlight the elements with an image, such as clearly showing the outline of clouds in the sky. And don’t forget that the 41 megapixel camera operates with the front facing camcorder in a dual capture mode. This allows you to share whatever you are looking at when you are in a video call or chat.

You also receive features like auto focus, continuous autofocus while video recording, a six element Carl Zeiss lens and optical image stabilization. More than just a great camera, the Nokia Lumia 1020 4G delivers a large 4.50 inch display with HD+ resolution at 768 by 1,280 pixels. Talk time runs a very generous 19.10 hours after a full battery charge, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 system chip running the show is built around a dual core 1.5 GHz CPU. A full 2.0 GB of RAM memory is on board, as is 32 GB of built-in data storage.

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