T-Mobile Parent Company Deutsche Telekom Turns Down Iliad’s Bid For $15 Billion

Really no sooner than we had learned about the Iliad bid to offer up $15 Billion for the majority purchase of T-Mobile, are we learning of the fact that T-mobile has actually rejected the bid and decided that it doesn’t want to accept it. The French Telecom company has been turned down by T-Mobile, which may or may not be a surprise to some, especially considering that 3rd largest U.S. wireless carrier Sprint is already attempting to buy T-Mobile from their parent company Deutsche Telekom. The amount that Sprint has reportedly offered is also more than double that of the amount offered by the 4th largest French carrier. The difference between Sprint’s bid to buyout T-Mobile and Iliad’s, is that Sprint would be buying out T-Mobile entirely where as Iliad’s bid for $15 Billion is only for 56% of the company, which is just enough to have a controlling stake in it.

Iliad’s decision to offer up a price to buy is partly due to the fact that Iliad sees T-mobiles efforts to establish itself in the U.S. mobile market as similar to that of the way Iliad has done so in France, stating that “The U.S. mobile market is vast and attractive, and T-Mobile has successfully established itself in the market by positioning itself, in many respects, in a similar way to Iliad”. While Iliad seems keen on becoming the majority share holder of the U.S. fourth largest wireless carrier, T-Mobile’s current parent company and majority share holder has already turned down the bid.

It’s unclear exactly what the reasoning is as to why the deal was rejected by Deutsche Telekom, whether it be the price that was offered or simply because they’re really hopeful and pushing for the deal with Sprint and their parent company SoftBank. In either case, the four companies currently involved in the possible U.S. merger, which includes Sprint and their parent company SoftBank, and Deutsche Telekom along with T-mobile, will continue to prepare for presenting the deal in front of U.S. regulators later this year and rumored to be sometime after we enter the Fall season. What’s interesting, is that Iliad was reported being valued at nearly $16 Billion in market value from today and placed a bid for T-Mobile that is just shy of that price, where T-Mobile’s market value is about $25 Billion.

The post T-Mobile Parent Company Deutsche Telekom Turns Down Iliad’s Bid For $15 Billion appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

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Android is becoming a monopoly and that could be a problem

JD Hancock

Android has truly become an authority in the mobile market. A powerful operating system that costs nothing to the manufacturer and brings unlimited options to the consumer is hard to beat, a fact that is confirmed by las quarter’s marketshare reports. Google’s mobile OS has reached another milestone during Q2 2014, during which the Mountain View giant shipped 85% of all smartphones!

This comes as great news to us Android aficionados, but the rest of the market is not very happy. Google’s victory can, in part, be thanked to iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry losing marketshare. As with anything else, such a substantial success is bound to turn some heads, and some of those may be holding eyes you don’t want looking at you.

European authorities are said to be looking into investigating the Search Giant for its overwhelming advantage over other mobile platforms. This investigation would carry through if Android was to ship over 80% of devices within the European nations, which currently isn’t the case. Android devices account for 73% of shipped devices within said continent.

securitycoverage

Google is walking on thin ice here. A full-blown investigation on Google’s possible monopoly could bring some serious consequences for the operating system we all love and treasure. How would this case conclude, though? We could argue Android’s monopoly is a natural succession of how great and convenient the OS is. Most of us would say Google does compete fairly.

In fact, the European market may not be so worried about how many Android smartphones are out there. Sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters European regulators are more worried about Google’s practices, inquiring they are abusing their obvious dominance in the market.

A clear example is that Google does require that manufacturers pre-install certain applications, like Maps and Search. That is, unless they want to steer clear of Google services, much like Amazon has done with its Fire smartphones and tablets.

It’s hard for other manufacturers to offer a good experience with no official support, though, especially because Google Play Store accessibility requires that manufacturers follow certain standards (including the addition of said apps). Certain software updates also demand these pre-requisites.

Is Google taking advantage of its position? Some may believe they are, but we must also remember this is why Google created Android as a free, open ecosystem. They wanted to bring their services to as many users as possible, and offering Android as a free alternative proved to be a successful way to do so.

Source: Reuters;



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Android 4.4.2 Update For Verizon's LG G Pad 8.3 Is Rolling Out Now

I really like my LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition (or as we call it 'round the office, the LGGP83GPE), and it's a bit disheartening that the standard version isn't getting more traction. But at least Verizon's LTE model is now on Android 4.4, as confirmed by Google+ users. Verizon's standard upgrade page says that the KitKat 4.4.2 OTA update adds a few changes to LG's software skin as well.

Android 4.4.2 Update For Verizon's LG G Pad 8.3 Is Rolling Out Now was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Verizon Galaxy S5 updated, root users beware

Verizon updates don’t come as often as we would hope, making today a celebratory day for Samsung Galaxy S5 users. Big Red’s Samsung flagship device is being blessed with a relatively small update. The phone stays at Android 4.4.2, making small (and background) improvements a major focus.

Verizon’s Caller Name ID, Message+ and Cloud apps have all been updated. Other fixes and improvements will probably be noticed by very few, but they do make for an overall smoother experience. Here is what software version KOT49H.G900VVRU1ANE9 will bring.

Resolved issues

• ‘Search’ icon has been removed within Memo when there is no memo


• Favorite ‘Contact’ information background is now more readable


• Visual Voicemail works when S-View flip cover is closed


• Connectivity has been improved when streaming music


• Stability has been improved for Samsung Gear Manager


• Text alert improvements for select factory installed car kits


• “Primary Contacts” label has been changed to “Emergency Contacts” when in Emergency Mode


• Power On password

Added support

• User selectable video application when uploading to YouTube


• Message+ now supports closed captioning


• Emergency Mode has been updated


• Contact Menu stability has been enhanced


• Easy Mode Settings now includes images


• ‘Downloaded Apps’ field added to searchable file types in My Files


• Web Search has been added to S Finder

Don’t be fooled by the update’s simple nature, though. Reports all over the internet assure this update is breaking root access! It seems Towelroot is not bringing it back either. This does seems to be a bit of a hit or miss situation, as other people are reporting everything is working just fine. I wouldn’t take a risk if I wanted to keep root access. Steer clear at least for a while, until everything is cleared out.

Those who do want the update can simply wait for that mighty notification or go to the settings and check for updates.

Source: Verizon;



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Samsung On Track To Launch Two New Premium Devices Later In The Year

New devices are always on the horizon it seems, but consumers tend to take notice a little more when they come from one of the largest electronics manufacturers. With that said, Samsung apparently has two new devices on the way, one of which will be using new materials, and a new type of display that we haven’t yet heard about, and the other is supposedly coming with a “big screen”. The first is being touted as a “very innovative new product” with a big display according to Samsung Mobile Communications Senior VP Hyun-Joon Kim. The other is the one with new materials and a new display that we just mentioned, with the materials and the display referred to by Kim as “attractive”. The use of that word makes us think that they will continue to push forward with their focus on designing a device that is just as stylish and fashion-centric as it is functional, which was a big focus of designing the Galaxy S5. Could the second device be the Galaxy Alpha?

Rumors of course are already humming that the Note 4 must be the device that Kim referred to with the bigger display, and that very well could be true. If that is the case, then we have to wonder how Samsung plans to take something iconic like their Note series of devices that have been arguably very good in the last two iterations, and make the device “new and innovative.” We definitely expect it to have some powerful new specs but what could they be planning to make it stand out and give users that feeling of awe and a sense of something that hasn’t been seen?

Samsung is likely looking for new ways to entice and bring in new customers as they recently posted a loss in earning for the second quarter. They still hold the largest percentage of smartphones sold but their numbers are decreasing to other smaller brands. perhaps the announcements of new and attractive materials and some new innovations can bring some of those customers back that they lost. That is if the innovations and features/materials are meaningful to the consumer and not mere gimmicks as some have felt before about some of Samsung’s devices. Whatever these new additions will be, Samsung will still likely make plenty of profit off of them when the devices are launched, but will they be captivating enough to spur an increase in operating profits this time around as opposed to another decrease?

The post Samsung On Track To Launch Two New Premium Devices Later In The Year appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

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[Bonus Round] Munin, Devious Dungeon, And Spinrush

Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a good-looking platform-puzzle game, an old-school 2D hack-and-slash title, and a unique take on the Tempest formula.

[Bonus Round] Munin, Devious Dungeon, And Spinrush was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Taiwan Charges Xiaomi For Allegedly Altering Sales Numbers Of The RedMi Note

Xiaomi seems to be in the public eye quite a bit lately for both good and not so good reasons. Just recently news had started to hit the web about Xiaomi’s RedMi Note possibly sending user data over to Chinese servers, which of course was later explained by Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra just yesterday about what the process is that was happening, and that it involved Xiaomi’s optional Mi Cloud service collecting non personal data. The latest, despite word of some of their extremely successful sales figures it seems that Xiaomi has potentially been caught altering sales number of the RedMi Note from when it launched.

According to the source who claims Xiaomi was caught red handed, the RedMi Note which Xiaomi posted sales numbers of 28,000 within the first 10 minutes of the phones launch was actually a number of 26,220. Originally the RedMi Note was thought to have sold in two batches of 10,000 each and then finally a third batch of another 8,000 phones all in under 10 minutes after the phone launched. The apparent real sales numbers were 9,339 in the first batch, 9,442 in the second batch and 7,389 in the final third batch that was part of the larger figure. Xiaomi is said to have also been charged by Taiwan with altering the sales figures which has supposedly netted them a hefty fine of NT $600,000.

If any of this is true, the one thing that really has to be asked is whether any of this really matters to the mainstream consumer or to an average buyer. Probably not, it certainly doesn’t matter to us because we’re not investors. We’re not someone who gets a substantial return based off of actual sales figures. In the long run, Xiaomi’s supposed puffed up sales numbers don’t effect the end user as they will still continue to put out some great devices with really decent specs at a fraction of the cost of competing devices. If they really altered sales figures, should they have? No, it might have been better not to. Should it concern anybody that buys Xiaomi products? Once again, no probably not. Xiaomi wouldn’t be the first and only company to alter sales numbers to look good in the public eye, and they won’t be the last, and the world will still keep on turning.

The post Taiwan Charges Xiaomi For Allegedly Altering Sales Numbers Of The RedMi Note appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

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French carrier Iliad has made a $15 billion dollar offer to buy T-Mobile

We’ve long known Sprint’s intentions on scooping up T-Mobile, but it was only recently these talks became much more serious thanks in part to parent company SoftBank heading negotiations. Where the likelihood of a Sprint/T-Mobile merger faces a few regulatory hurdles, a new offer from a carrier not already invested in the US could have a little more luck.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that French telecom Iliad has made a bid for T-Mobile to the tune of $15 billion. This would give the French company a 56.6% majority stake in T-Mobile who carries a market value of $24.8 billion. Iliad seems confident their offer wont face the same antitrust issues as SoftBank/Sprint, given there wouldn’t be a removal of the 4th largest carrier in the US.

Iliad’s founder and self-made billionaire, Xavier Niel, has reportedly had his eye on the US market for awhile now. He’s been credited with sparking a pricing war in France, with Iliad undercutting much of the competition. Sounds like a perfect fit for T-Mobile.

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Amazon Opens Its Appstore To 41 New Locations Throughout Africa, The Middle East, Oceania, And Southeast Asia

If there's one thing Amazon knows how to do, it's sell stuff to as many people as it can. Today the company has announced that 41 new countries and territories now have access to its online Android marketplace. These areas are spread throughout Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

All apps aren't automatically available in each location, as there are still local restrictions in place in certain areas. Existing apps will automatically go live everywhere except in those that deem otherwise.

Amazon Opens Its Appstore To 41 New Locations Throughout Africa, The Middle East, Oceania, And Southeast Asia was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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[Deal Alert] Newegg Is Offering 10% Off Many Android Tablets Including the Nvidia Shield Tablet—Ends Tonight

If you act quick, you can get a nice deal on an tablet from Newegg, which is offering 10% off a bunch of Android slates. It's not clear how many devices are included, but the new Shield Tablet is one of them (that's $30 off). This deal ends tonight—July 31st.

The page for the Shield Tablet lists the promotional code AFUBTB10, but it doesn't appear on all the product pages it can be applied to.

[Deal Alert] Newegg Is Offering 10% Off Many Android Tablets Including the Nvidia Shield Tablet—Ends Tonight was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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