Those that weren’t content with Verizon’s price drop will be happy to know that the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX price has dropped to an even lower price at Amazon Wireless.

Last week, Verizon dropped the price of the Droid RAZR MAXX, one of its popular 4G LTE Android smartphones down to $199.99 on a new two-year contract. That price was down from its original $299.99 price tag.

Amazon though, in an effort to undercut the carrier, has moved the Droid RAZR MAXX down to a mere $150 on-contract, the best price that it has offered for the best selling device.

Read: Droid RAZR MAXX Review: Insane Battery Life (Editors’ Choice).

It’s currently the second best selling smartphone on Amazon behind AT&T’s HTC One X.

Unfortunately, the price drop only pertains to those that are buying the phone with a new two-year agreement. Those who are looking to upgrade to the Droid RAZR MAXX will have to shell out the $199.99.

Amazon will also sweeten the deal through May 25th. The retailer has a promotion where it is offering up $40 that can be used towards a monthly bill from Verizon. That deal only lasts until Midnight on May 24th though.

The Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX is currently one of the best smartphones in Verizon’s arsenal as it boasts an extremely thin design that comes with a massive 3,300 mAh battery inside. That battery is capable of offering up to 21 hours of talk time. It also helps to negate the drain that Verizon’s 4G LTE network has on the battery.

It also features a spacious display, speedy processor and it will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of June making it a phone worth looking at, especially at this price.

Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX Price Drops at Amazon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Amazon has dropped the price of the Nokia Lumia 900 for new customers and those wishing to upgrade to AT&T’s flagship 4G LTE Windows Phone.

Originally, Amazon had been offering the Lumia 900 for a mere $19.99 for those wishing to make an upgrade. The retailer has now dropped the price for upgraders all the way down to $9.99 with a new two-year agreement.

In addition, Amazon has also dropped the price for those looking to sign a new two-year contract with AT&T. It had offered the Lumia 900 for $49.99 prior to today, but now, Amazon has the device listed for the paltry sum of $39.99.

Read: Nokia Lumia 900 Review.

That’s not a bad deal at all and it’s $60 less than the $99.99 that AT&T is currently charging for the phone on-contract.

Those looking to snag the phone off-contract will also get a discount at Amazon as the phone now costs $449.99 which is down from Amazon’s original off-contract price of $499.99.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is AT&T’s current top-of-the-line Windows Phone and one of the many 4G LTE devices that the carrier currently has in its stable.

It features a 8MP Carl Zeiss camera, and the 1830 mAh battery. You’ll also get those 4G LTE capabilities which means data speeds that are up to 10 times faster than those found on your normal 3G network.

Read: Nokia Lumia 900 Survives Beat Down from a Hammer (Video).

And while it’s still not clear, the Nokia Lumia 900 should be getting the boost up to Windows Phone 8 Apollo, Microsoft’s new operating system which is set to debut sometime later on this year.

Nokia Lumia 900 Price Slashed at Amazon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Those in the United States looking to get the Samsung Galaxy S III without any sort of carrier branding can now do so as Amazon has put the device up for pre-order.

Amazon is currently offering pre-orders for the device for a cool $800. That hefty price tag will net you either the 16GB pebble blue Galaxy S III or the 16GB white Galaxy S III.

The device is slated to be released on June 1st, just a few short days after the phone goes on sale in the United Kingdom. It will officially hit several UK-based carriers on May 29th.

This version of the device will have Samsung’s 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor on board but it will be limited to an HSPA+ radio instead of a 4G LTE radio. The 4G LTE edition of the Galaxy S III will be hitting shelves in the United States at some point in June although no U.S. carrier has confirmed the device for launch.

It has been all but confirmed for AT&T and T-Mobile as the phones are now registered and approved with the Bluetooth regulatory agency Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).

Sprint and Verizon models have also been rumored so it appears that all four of the United States’ major carriers will be getting the device.

The unlocked version of the device will be compatible with AT&T’s HSPA+ network, will work with limits on T-Mobile’s network and flat out will not work on either Sprint or Verizon.

The Galaxy S III is Samsung’s latest smartphone and it features a spacious 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, an impressive 8MP camera with loads of features, a massive 2100mAh battery, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Read: Has Verizon Already Screwed Galaxy S III Owners?

In addition, early tests indicate the the Galaxy S III will offer great battery life, something that is sorely lacking on some Android devices.

Samsung Galaxy S III Pre-Orders Begin in U.S. is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Starting today, Amazon will be awarding those who purchase a Verizon 4G LTE device, Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX included, a $40 credit that can be used towards a monthly bill from the carrier.

The deal applies to all of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones that Verizon currently has on sale and it applies to those that are signing up for new contracts and those that are upgrading to a new device.

Of course, as these deals go, there are a few caveats that come along with it.

The first is that it is only going on for a limited time. The offer starts today and will last through May 24th which gives consumers a mere four days to pounce on the offer. Once May 25th rolls around, the deal is gone.

And second, it may take awhile for the credit to show up on the actual bill from Verizon. In fact, it may take up to three billing cycles before the credit is awarded towards the final amount.

So those looking for an instant discount should temper expectations.

Still, the deal is worth looking at, especially for those dead set on grabbing a new 4G LTE smartphone from Verizon. Amazon has a host of Verizon 4G LTE devices on sale including the best selling Galaxy Nexus and Droid RAZR MAXX, but it also offers phones like the original Droid RAZR, the HTC Rezound, Motorola Droid 4 and the Motorola Droid Bionic.

All of those phones will be getting the upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, some sooner than others.

Verizon currently boasts the largest 4G LTE network in the United States with over 200 markets and 200 million Americans covered with its high-speed data network.

Grab a $40 Amazon Credit With Verizon 4G LTE Phone Purchase is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

In the latest round of tablet rumors, it appears that publication DigiTimes is kindling rumors that Amazon will be going big with its next release in the Kindle Fire product line. While it’s been long speculated that Amazon will add a larger Kindle Fire slate to its 7-inch tablet on the market, there was continuing debate if that model will be an 8.9-inch or a 10-inch slate. However, now DigiTimes is claiming that Amazon has suspended plans for its 8.9-inch slate and is favoring the larger 10-inch tablet model in a move that would put the Kindle Fire 10-inch in direct competition with Apple’s market-leading iPad tablet.

Amazon apparently plans to simplify its product lineup to focus its competition against Apple’s iPad, according to industry sources, who also added that the planned 8.9-inch model was originally to take on Samsung’s Galaxy Note tablets.

Apple, meanwhile, isn’t sitting still. While the iOS slate manufacturer has in the past dismissed smaller tablets as not being ideal to a good user experience, it saw the Kindle Fire’s inexpensive $200 price tag and 7-inch form factor to rise to the top of the Android crop and take second place in market share for tablets. Apple is now rumored to be releasing with a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to compete against inexpensive and smaller Android slates.

Amazon has a better chance of succeeding in the low-cost tablet space compared to other Android tablet-manufacturers as it does not need to rely on Google’s ecosystem for digital content. Amazon has storefronts for apps, music, books, magazines, movies, and TV shows. With sales of these content, Amazon can make a small percentage revenue and this allows it to sell its hardware at a loss.

Tablet Rumors: Amazon Goes Big While Apple Shoots Small is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

With Customs holding the HTC One X, finding it anywhere is difficult. AT&T released the One X on May 6, and there’s still a few retailers that have some in stock to sell.

Unfortunately, potential buyers that want the white version of the HTC One X will have to try their luck in stores, as we weren’t able to find the white version in stock anywhere online. The gray version of the phone is still available in several places, however.

Read: HTC One X Review

The least expensive place to by the HTC One X online or off is Amazon Wireless. Amazon still has the gray HTC One X in stock, and is selling it for just $129.99. That’s $70 less than AT&T charges, and $30 less than the phone’s original price on Amazon.

Radio Shack has the next best deal. The retailer doesn’t offer any discounts on the phone, but it does offer seven free Coldplay songs with the purchase of it. It seems like a strange promotion, but at least the retailer has the phone in stock. Strangely, while The Shack does have the gray version on sale for $199.99, the store’s link to the white version links to the Motorola Droid 3 instead.

Best Buy is the last store we found that has the HTC One X on AT&T available. Like the other stores, Best Buy only has the gray version in stock, and it charges the full $199.99 for the Android 4.0 smartphone. The upside is Best Buy, like Radio Shack has the option to pick up the phone in retail stores, assuming the store has it in stock.

For users that really want a white version of the HTC One X on AT&T the only option is to call stores and ask, or go to eBay. Some users are selling the white One X on the auction site for $500 or more. The price is a bit steep, but if Customs holds the phone for too long, eBay might be the only place to find the phone.

Where To Buy The HTC One X Online During Customs Delay is a post by Shawn Ingram from Gotta Be Mobile.

According to a report, Amazon is set to refresh its Kindle line of e-reader and tablets later this year with new products. The company will launch its first Kindle e-ink e-reader with a front-lit display and also a new larger screen Kindle Fire tablet, which will be based on Google’s Android OS but will be heavily skinned with Amazon’s UI much like the current Kindle Fire slate.

A source to Reuters revealed plans for the front-lit e-ink Kindle e-reader display after having seen a prototype of the device. The feature will allow readers of the e-ink display to read in dimly lit or dark environments without the need to purchase an external book light. Though the feature will make its debut on the Kindle, it had appeared in the past on Sony Reader, an e-ink rival, and more recently on competitor Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light.

“I do see demand for a front-lit Kindle,” said Jennifer Colegrove, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch, an NPD Group company, which monitors trends in the display sector.

The upside of the front-lit display would be the convenience factor, but the downside is that it will have some marginal impact on the Kindle’s battery life. As the Kindle has battery stamina, this should not be a huge hit. As the LED light would cost very little–approximately $10–it is said that Amazon may keep prices on par or increase prices slightly to offset costs.

There were previous rumors of a color e-ink panel, but that may not happen at least this year.

Instead, for color, Amazon is said to be releasing a larger version of its LCD-based Kindle Fire tablet with an 8.9-inch display. An 8.9-inch and even a 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet were both rumored since before Amazon debuted the 7-inch tablet, which captured a big market share due to its more economical price point in the Android slate market.

Amazon to Release Kindle With Light, New Kindle Fire Tablet Later This Year is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

Those who are interested in placing a pre-order for the HTC EVO 4G LTE will be delighted to know that Amazon has begun taking pre-orders for the device and it, as expected, is offering the device for cheaper than the price tag at Sprint.

Amazon generally undercuts carrier prices and it has done the same with the HTC EVO 4G LTE. The retailer is currently offering the HTC EVO 4G LTE for $150 on a new two-year contract.

Sprint on the other hand is offering up the device for $199.99 on-contract. Both prices are good for this phone but obviously, Amazon is the better choice of the two.

Read: HTC EVO 4G LTE Hands-on Video.

It also appears to be offering the deal for those looking to upgrade to the new EVO smartphone so those that are currently on Sprint will also want to take heed as well.

Those looking to get the smartphone off-contract will have to shell out $529 to Sprint.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE is very similar to AT&T’s HTC One X which launched on May 6th. Specifications include a 4.7-inch Super LCD display with 720p HD resolution, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 8MP rear camera that is powered by a dedicated ImageChip and has a physical button, 16GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, an NFC chip for use with services like Google Wallet, and a large 2,000 mAh battery.

HTC’s EVO 4G LTE will be the third EVO-branded smartphone to launch on Sprint and the first that features 4G LTE capabilities. 4G LTE data can get up to 10 times faster than normal 3G data speeds.

The phone will be joining Sprint’s two other 4G LTE smartphones, the LG Viper 4G LTE and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, both of which launched during the month of April.

It appears that the three of those will be joined by LG’s upcoming LG Eclipse, a phone that has some pretty hefty hardware specifications.

HTC EVO 4G LTE Price Only $150 at Amazon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

I would hope that most folks who see a discount on a new piece of technology do their research and read the fine print before clicking the purchase button. But we all know that’s not always the case even when discounts appear that make a new shiny gadget appear attainable for those on a budget. Red Tape Chronicles is running a piece that anyone looking for discounts and purchasing a new smartphone from an online retailer might want to read and/or file away.

In the article, Red Tape mentions Target and Radio Shack specifically. Essentially what these companies do is use a third party company called Simplexity to run this piece of their business. This is where the catch comes in. Simplexity’s terms (which are clearly spelled out if you click a link to read them before making the purchase-and everyone does that right?) state that if you terminate or change service within the first 181 days after activation, you are subject to a $400 fee. This is over an above whatever Early Termination Fee (ETF) the carrier might be charging. Simplexity says that this fee is commission that it receives from the carrier and that it needs to recover that commission from the customer if the customer chooses to cancel or change the service.

The Red Tape article chronicles a few examples of customers who have gotten caught up in this, and also has some info from Simplexity itself to try and balance out the picture. The article also points out that both Amazon and Walmart have similar practices with fees of $250 for termination within that first 181 period.

So, like everything else in life, getting that discount does comes with a potential price, if your circumstances change. I’m not sure how much of this is well known. To be honest, this was the first I’ve heard of it given that I always buy straight from a carrier or manufacturer. My reasoning for that is simple. If there’s a problem there are fewer hoops I need to jump through to attempt to get the problem resolved.

So, I’m curious. I know we have readers who purchase smartphones at a discount. Anyone run into problems with this? Let us know in comments.

Buyer Beware: Web Discount Offers on Phones Come with a Catch is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Those looking to get a brand new Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint should have a look at the deal that Amazon now has on the device as the retailer has undercut the price of the carrier by a full $50.

Originally, Amazon Wireless had the Sprint Galaxy Nexus priced at the same $199.99 as Sprint. However, Amazon is now offering up the Galaxy Nexus for a mere $150. That’s not an incredible discount by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s certainly a nice price for a phone that just came out a few weeks ago.

It appears that the price applies to both new customers and those upgrading so those who own an older Sprint device that are up for a new contract might want to take a long look at Amazon’s offer.

Sprint currently offers up the device with the full $199.99 price tag.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one of three 4G LTE smartphones that Sprint is currently offering. The $100 LG Viper 4G LTE is currently available and Sprint just started taking pre-orders for the HTC EVO 4G LTE which it plans to release later on this month.

The EVO 4G LTE figures to be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus’ biggest in-house competition and judging from a poll that we took here at Gotta Be Mobile, it might be able to surpass the Galaxy Nexus in sales.

Read: Sprint Galaxy Nexus vs. Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE.

The Sprint Galaxy Nexus has a 1.2Ghz dual core processor, massive 4.5-inch 720P HD display, 1GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It also has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box and the same 1850mAh battery that is found on Verizon’s variant.

Sprint Galaxy Nexus Price Drops at Amazon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

An Amazon Kindle Fire update just dropped from Amazon that will make parents rejoice thanks to new parental controls.

Previously on a Kindle Fire, younglings could buy movies, books and apps as well as order thousands of pretty much anything they wanted from Amazon. Only you wouldn’t know till you got your shocking email with the receipt.

Update 6.3.1 offers parents the option to add a password protection to their Kindle Fire so that junior can’t hit buy without your consent, well, that is unless they guess your password.

In addition, you can disable content libraries like movies, TV, books and apps and turn off the Silk Browser altogether so they can’t get on the wild World Wide Web. This also provides some added security thanks to the password protection.

The update should show up on your Kindle Fire soon, automatically, if connected via Wi-Fi to the Internet. To get it now, make sure your Fire has a full battery or plug it into the AC adapter. Tap on the Settings icon in the upper right and choose Sync. The update will download and apply itself.

You can also download the update from Amazon and side load it using your computer. After downloading the update, move it to your Kindle Fire using a USB cable. One doesn’t come with the Fire so you’ll have to get your own. Drop the update into the Kindleupdates folder on the Fire from either Finder on a Mac or Explorer on Windows.

Open the Fire settings using the icon in the upper right and tap More. Choose Device and then Update Your Kindle. The option won’t work if it’s already applied or the file transfer didn’t finish successfully. After a couple of restarts you can use your fire with the new software and features.

Kindle Fire Update Makes It Safe to Let Kids Play is a post by Kevin Purcell from Gotta Be Mobile.

On the heels of news that retail giant Target will begin phasing Amazon’s Kindle products out of its stores comes word that Amazon is once again offering refurbished models of its popular Android tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire, for a mere $139.

This is a pretty incredible deal for those looking to get their hands on a tablet that is almost as good as new as it knocks $30 off of the regular refurbished price of $169 and is also a deep discount over the $199 price tag that is attached to a new Kindle Fire.

The offer won’t last forever though as Amazon is only offering it for then next 13 hours or until the supply is all sold out. Clearly, this is a fantastic deal so it’s very possible that the online retailer will deplete its stock.

Read: Kindle Fire Review.

These refurbished Kindle Fires are tested and certified to ensure that they work properly and they also come with the same one year warranty that a regular new Kindle Fire comes with something that again, makes this an offer worth considering.

As it stands, the Kindle Fire reportedly makes up over half of the Android tablet market. A big reason for this is its price which undercuts just about every other tablet on the market, including Apple’s iPad.

Read: Kindle Fire vs. New iPad.

At $199, users get a tablet that runs a heavily modified version of Android, sports a 1024 x 600 7-inch display, access to Amazon’s Appstore, and a tablet that offers many of Amazon’s in-house services for movies, books and more.

Refurbished Kindle Fire Available for $139 at Amazon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Microsoft and Barnes & Noble have put their differences aside and formed a strategic partnership in an effort to take on competitors like Amazon and Apple. Under the agreement, Microsoft will invest $300 million into the company taking a 17.6% stake in a newly spun-off subsidiary.

In a presser, that subsidiary is referred to as Newco as it does not yet have a name. The spin-off will include Barnes & Noble’s NOOK business as well as the company’s College business.

The new company has been valued at $1.7 billion and Barnes & Noble will retain a 82.4% ownership over the newly created subsidiary.

Read: Kindle Touch vs. Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.

This announcement should soon benefit consumers as the companies will apparently be collaborating on a NOOK application for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 platform. Such an application would allow the companies to “extend the reach of Barnes & Noble’s digital bookstore by providing one of the world’s largest digital catalogues of e-Books, magazines and newspapers to hundreds of millions of Windows customers in the U.S. and internationally.”

The ‘strategic partnership’ better positions the companies against common enemies like Amazon and Apple, both of which operate large catalogs of the same content.

It’s unclear what this means for Barnes & Noble’s NOOK tablet and eReader, both of which run a version of Android, an operating system from Google.

Barnes & Noble’s new Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight can be seen in the video below:

Read: Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight Review.

In addition, it appears that Barnes & Noble’s popular NOOK Study software will benefit from the partnership and will now “provide students and educators the preeminent technology platform for the distribution and management of digital education materials in the market.”

Barnes & Noble have in court over patent infringement but the companies have resolved the litigation and appear ready to put that behind them.

Microsoft Forms ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Barnes & Noble is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

There are a gazillion posts today reporting the news from comScore that Amazon’s Kindle Fire has 54.4% of the Android Tablet market. You can check out the news of that here in Shawn’s post. While we all need to take any news like this with some skepticism, sadly for Google and Android Tablet fans, this news was as predictable as Apple analysts missing on their predictions on Apple’s financial results. Why was it predictable? Well, there are several reasons.

First, Amazon didn’t do what every other Android Tablet maker does. It didn’t try to compete with Apple’s iPad. Instead Amazon launched a device that was targeted for folks who don’t want Tablets, computers, smartphones, or anything else with any hint of complexity. There’s no hint of the Android operating system, unless you want to look for it. The device does what it does and does it well and users can do what they need to do without worrying about how the device works.

Second, Amazon played the price game smartly. You can call it limited functionality for a lower price, or you can more accurately, in my opinion, call it smart marketing. Note that we’re hearing about other cheap Android Tablets coming lately.

Third, Amazon, like Apple, launched after it had its ecosystem and customer loyalty already built. It’s not trying to build around the device from scratch (or from the ashes of previous failed efforts).

And finally, Amazon realized, again, like Apple, that folks (other than geeks) want simplicity above all else when they use these devices. Amazon delivered on that expectation with the Kindle Fire. Other Android Tablet makers still don’t get it. I’m afraid we’re headed there as well with Microsoft’s Windows 8 Tablets, regardless of the flavor (RT or regular).

Both Amazon and Apple have figured out this game. The rest are still struggling to get a clue as they try to make this market work like the markets of old. (Hint, those days are gone.) Don’t get me wrong, I still hope we’ll see successes in the future. I just don’t think the business models that Google and Microsoft, and those who are using their respective operating systems provide an opportunity for success. But then, Google’s model let to the Kindle Fire’s success, so what do I know.

Thoughts on the Kindle Fire Being Half of the Android Tablet Market is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Yesterday brought good news for Amazon as its Kindle Fire reportedly now makes up over half of the Android tablet market. Today, there is good news for those Kindle Fire owners as Draw Something, the extremely popular game from OMGPOP, is now available on the Amazon Appstore,

This means that Kindle Fire owners can finally start drawing with their friends, something that iOS and owners of other Android devices have been doing for quite some time now.

The application is available in two variants.

Read: Amazon Kindle Fire Review

There is a free version that is ad-supported and there is a version that is ad-free that can be purchased for a cool $1.99.

Draw Something has taken the iOS and Android app markets by storm as the app went over the 50 million download mark earlier this month. There is a reason for the apps popularity though. It’s a fun game.

The premise is that two people work together in order to get points. How does one get points? Well, one person selects something to draw, they draw that object, and the other person guesses.

It sounds pretty simple but boy, it’s addicting. Not to mention endless.

The game became so popular and successful that it caught the eye of mobile gaming giant Zynga who bought developer OMGPOP for $250 million.

Since then, the game has been updated with a bunch of new features including the ability to comment on individual drawings and a way to share them on both Facebook and Twitter.

Draw Something Arrives for Kindle Fire is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The Amazon Kindle Fire accounts for half of the Android tablet market just five months after its release according to comScore.  The Kindle Fire represented 54.4% of the Android tablet market as of February 2012 according to Comscore. The entire Samsung Galaxy Tab family comes in second with 15.4%, while the Motorola Xoom holds just 7% of the Android tablet market.

In two months the $199 Kindle Fire nearly doubled its market share while the Galaxy Tab family, and every other Android tablet, lost market share. ComScore gives no explanation for the shift, but the tablet’s price and Amazon’s ecosystem seem like probable reasons.

Read: Amazon Kindle Fire Review

The Kindle Fire is a great inexpensive tablet, but its success isn’t necessarily benefitting Google. While the Kindle Fire runs Android, Amazon ships the Fire with its own  app store. The Google Play Store is not included in the Kindle Fire, which is bad for Google. Google doesn’t earn commissions on Kindle Fire app sales.

Another lowlight for Google is that Fire users don’t browse Web sites web as often as other tablet users. Google earns the bulk of its money through search ads that are displayed next to search results and partner Web sites.

The comScore report shows that the bigger a tablet is, the more content a user is likely to consume. Users with 10-inch tablets (including the iPad) averaged 125 webpages viewed in the month of February 2012. People with 9-inch tablets averaged 116 webpage visits, 7-inch tablets like the Kindle Fire averaged 90 webpages visited. Those with 5-inch tablets averaged just 79 pages.

While it’s not necessarily good news for Google that Amazon dominates the Android tablet market, the amount of content consumed by iPad users is good for the search company. More page views on Web sites with Google Ads means more money for Google. So, if iPad users browse the web more that means Google makes more money off the iPad, just like the company made more money on the iPhone in 2010 than it made on Android.

Kindle Fire is Half The Android Tablet Market is a post by Shawn Ingram from Gotta Be Mobile.

The new Nook Simple Touch includes a fancy built-in booklight dubbed GlowLight by Barnes & Noble. This feature will no doubt attract many eBook lovers who want the ability to read in bright light and in the dark of night. Plus, the Nook’s great design and eReading experience make it an attractive choice.

However, the eReader to beat is still Amazon’s Kindle. And their 4th generation model Kindle Touch shares many of the Nook’s features: simple interface, responsive touchscreen, fast page turns. But no built-in light.

Taking each of these eReaders’ features and functionality into consideration, which one is best? It depends on what you need and how you read.

Nook Touch With GlowLight Review | Amazon Kindle Touch Review

Yes, the GlowLight will seal the deal for some. But what if you’re a big note taker or want to borrow digital books from the local library? Read our in-depth comparison between the Amazon Kindle Touch and the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight to help you decide which one you should buy.

Price

At first glance it may look as though the Kindle Touch is less than the Nook with GlowLight, but the $99 price is for the Kindle with Special Offers. Special Offers are advertisements pushed to the Kindle from Amazon. They appear as screensavers when the Kindle is asleep.

Many Kindle owners don’t mind these ads and either ignore them or accept some of the offers, which include local deals. Others feel that advertisements have no place in the reading experience. To get rid of them, you either have to buy the Kindle Touch without Special Offers, which brings the price up to $139, or pay the extra $40 later to turn the ads off.

The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is $139 and has no ads or any similar program.

If the $40 difference is an issue, the Nook without GlowLight is still only $99 (again, no ads).

Design

Both the Kindle Touch and Nook with GlowLight have simple designs meant to make them easy to understand and use. Each has minimal buttons, a small footprint and a very light weight for comfortable one-handed reading and easy pocketability.

The Nook is slightly thicker and taller (6.5 x 5.0 x 0.47 inches) owing to the curved and contoured back; the Kindle Touch is taller (6.8 x 4.7 x 0.4 inches) and a bit thinner since it has no physical page turn buttons.

Even though both devices have touch technology, I like that the Nook includes the hardware buttons in addition to letting users tap or swipe to turn pages. This offers people more choice in how to use their device and satisfies those of use who want or need tactile feedback in this interaction.

Aesthetically, the Nook with GlowLight wins out for most attractive design. The black, soft-touch coating that covers the back and front not only makes holding it comfortable, it also looks great. Plus, the soft-touch makes the Nook grippier, so I don’t feel like I’m going to drop it, even on a jangly train ride.

The rounded corners and contoured back are a nice touch. And the n button beneath the display is both functional and classy.

In comparison, the Kindle Touch’s look is dated. The silver color and overall design put me in mind of Sony eReaders, but not in a good way. The Home button beneath the display works just fine, but doesn’t signify anything with its design.

Display

The Nook has a major advantage here in the GlowLight, a feature not currently offered by the Kindle Touch. The GlowLight illuminates the Nook’s display with a soft white/blue light that isn’t as harsh as the light from a tablet or smartphone, yet is bright enough for reading in dim or dark rooms. The Nook can go from bright sunlight to a a lampless bedroom , whereas with the Kindle you’ll need to buy an extra booklight or turn on an external light source.

Cover Image: Fair Coin

Still, the Kindle has an advantage, too. The anti-glare coating on the Nook with GlowLight diminishes the contrast on the display. Not a great deal, but enough to be noticeable. The Kindle Touch’s eInk screen features dark, crisp text and images that stand out from the background. (The Kindle and non-GlowLight Nook are on a par with each other in this department.)

Otherwise, the two 6-inch ePaper displays are pretty similar. Both are 600 x 800 with 16 levels of grayscale and feature the best refresh rates available.

Due to the low power required for such displays, the Nook and Kindle can each last for up to 2 months with the Wi-Fi turned off. Using the GlowLight cuts the Nook to 1 month on a charge.

Reading Experience

Thanks to simple, easy to understand interfaces and fast processors, both the Kindle Touch and Nook with GlowLight offer good reading experiences. Getting to the eBook you want to read is a straightforward process. Inside books, page turns happen fast with little or no flashing to distract you from what’s important: the words on the page.

As I said earlier, I prefer the Nook’s approach to page turn choices — hardware buttons plus either tapping or swiping across the display itself. However, when paging forward with the left hand your choices narrow. You can either use the clicky button or try to swipe with the left thumb, which doesn’t always work. Tapping the left edge of the screen only pages back.

Kindle Touch EasyReach

Amazon came up with a clever solution to this problem with EasyReach. This changes the touch zones on the Kindle Touch’s screen so that the area where one can tap to Page Forward is much wider and easy to reach with the left thumb. This makes up for the lack of hardware buttons somewhat.

Inside books, both eReaders offer multiple font size, font face, and page style choices. The Nook has six fonts to choose from, the Kindle has three (and only one worth using). Readers have ample choice when it comes to text size, but only on the Kindle Touch can users pinch to change the size.

eBook Selection and Availability

Barnes & Noble and Amazon can both boast a catalog of over a million books for their respective eReaders. However, thousands of those titles are free public domain eBooks. Neither company cares to separate out the number of modern books from the classics. However, Amazon has been selling eBooks for longer than Barnes & Noble, thus has a larger library of books published in the past decade.

If you’re looking for new titles and bestsellers the two stores have similar offerings. There are some books exclusive to Amazon, such as the Kindle Singles, books from Amazon’s imprint and select releases. The majority of major books will be available for both Nook and Kindle.

Library lending is available for both as well. Local libraries that employ the Overdrive system for digital lending have books that will work on either eReader. However, getting the books onto the Kindle Touch is far easier than the Nook with GlowLight.

Once you connect your Kindle account to the library’s Overdrive system, loaned books transmit wirelessly to your Kindle and have all the benefits of regular Kindle books, including syncing, notes and highlights.

Transferring library books to the Nook requires the use of Adobe’s Digital Editions software and a PC or Mac. And the books won’t sync to other Nook devices or apps.

LendMe

Nook owners can wirelessly sync books borrowed via the LendMe program. With this, owners can borrow books from friends or people connected to them via the NookFriends social network. If your friends have the option turned on, you can also browse their library and choose a book to borrow.

Amazon now has a similar lending service with similar restrictions: users can only lend out a book once and only for 14 days. In addition, Amazon Prime members also have access to a free lending library.

The same program that facilitates library loans on the Nook also allows users to transfer ePub eBooks from other stores to the Nook. If you already purchased books from Sony, Kobo, Google Books or other stores that utilize Adobe’s DRM, you can load them on the Nook without breaking the DRM. There are also several stores that sell Nook-compatible eBooks beyond Barnes & Noble.

Wireless Connectivity

The $139 Kindle Touch and Nook with GlowLight have wireless b/g/n radios for connecting to the Internet and their respective eBookstores. AT&T offers free connectivity to the carriers vast network of Wi-Fi hotspots to both devices.

Unlike the very first Nook from Barnes & Noble, the Nook with GlowLight doesn’t have a 3G version for connecting anywhere. Amazon continues to offer both a Wi-Fi and 3G version of the Kindle.

The Kindle Touch 3G costs $149 with ads and $189 without. There are no monthly fees — the 3G service is free to use for the lifetime of the product. Having 3G is useful for impulse purchases and times when you want to download books even if you’re not near a wireless hotspot, such as in the car. It’s also useful when you need to use the Kindle as a backup Internet device (more on that below).

Notes, Highlights and Syncing

Both devices allow readers to add notes and highlights to the books they read and to easily browse them later. However, even without a physical keyboard, the Kindle Touch is superior when it comes to this feature.

That’s because the Kindle does a better job of allowing owners to access notes and highlights on other devices, including their computers, and has an export feature. This makes the Kindle more useful for people who keep extensive notes and need to access them, such as students or users who read for professional purposes.

Kindle notes and highlights sync from Kindle to Kindle as well as to the apps for iOS and Android. On a computer you can access notes via the web browser by logging into your My Kindle account or via the Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac programs. It’s possible to export the My Clippings file to get at the text of notes and highlights from the Kindle Touch itself. Or just go to “Your Highlights” on kindle.amazon.com.

Notes and highlights on the Nook with GlowLight might as well be locked in a deep, dark cave, they’re so inaccessible. Users can’t export them from the device, and notes and highlights don’t sync to all Nook programs. They will sync between Nook with GlowLight and Nook Tablet or Nook Color, but not Nook for PC where they’d be most useful. Nook for Mac beta says syncing is possible, but it’s not reliable.

Syncing in general is less reliable than the Kindle Touch. Both eReaders will sync the last page read so you can pick up reading on your smartphone app where you left off on the ePaper device. With the Kindle Touch, this process always works and is always accurate. With the Nook, the sync sometimes works, but the last page read might be several pages behind where I left off.

Documents, Files and Email

Another area where the Kindle Touch is a better choice for those who want or need to do more than just read eBooks is with documents. The Nook with GlowLight can only read one document format: PDF. The Kindle can read PDF, text files and Word documents (.doc and .docx).

While most people won’t use the Kindle Touch as a replacement for a tablet or computer for doing serious work or adding many notes, the ability to read documents on an eInk screen is valuable to those who spend a lot of time doing it. Since each Kindle has its own email address, owners don’t even need to connect to a computer to load the files.

The ability to email files to the Kindle Touch also facilitates other nice extras, such as getting posts and web pages saved on Instapaper or Readability sent automatically to the device.

Currently, the Nook with GlowLight doesn’t have a similar feature.

Audio

Notice the audio jack on the Kindle Touch (top) v. the Kindle 4 (bottom)

While the ability to play audiobooks doesn’t seem like a sought-after feature for eInk eReaders, Amazon still includes it in the Kindle Touch. Also included in Amazon’s Read-To-Me feature, which reads the text of supported books in a computer voice.

The Nook with GlowLight doesn’t have either of these features.

The Bottom Line

From a pure reading experience standpoint, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight has a big advantage with the built-in booklight. It lights up the display better than an external light and is less disruptive to your bed partner than a lamp. Anyone who has has wished for an eReader that works as well as a tablet in dim light will want the GlowLight.

Still, the Kindle Touch’s display has deeper contrast. And for people who do more than just read books, the better note and highlight functionality is a big deal. The Kindle also includes more little extras that build up into a robust feature set.

If you want an eReader that’s more focused on the reading aspect of the experience, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is a great choice. If you need to do more with books beyond reading, the Kindle Touch will serve you better, even without the built-in light.

Nook Touch With GlowLight Review | Amazon Kindle Touch Review

Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

While we’re still counting down to the May 3rd unveil of the Samsung Galaxy S III third-generation Samsung flagship smartphone in London, it appears that accessory-makers have jumped the gun and have released a few new accessories for the smartphone. These accessories–form-fitted gel skin cases and screen protectors–have begun to show up on Amazon UK’s web store and show off a device with a near edge-to-edge display; the screen is edge-to-edge from the left to right side when holding the phone in portrait mode and the top and bottom edges have a little bit of bezel for the earpiece speakers and branding.

The device render for the Galaxy S III matches what we’ve seen in some recent leaks earlier, and it’s unclear if accessory-maker Kolay has some inside intelligence into the phone’s final design or if it’s just jumping the gun piecing together bits of rumors that have been floating on the Internet. Another possibility is that these images that are appearing with the Amazon listing could merely be placeholders ahead of the announcement.

What’s curious is that these accessories appear, according to Droid-life, when you search Amazon UK for the model number Samsung GT-i9500. In a very recent benchmark leak of a device that’s widely believed to be the Galaxy S III, the model number on that handset is the Samsung GT-i9300. It’s unclear which model number is correct and which one will be the final release. For reference, the GSM version of the Galaxy S II sold overseas bears the model number Samsung GT-i9100 whereas the original Galaxy S had the GT-i9000 model number.

First Accessories for Samsung’s Anticipated Galaxy S III Appear on Amazon is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

Today is Earth Day, the time of year when many people pause and take a moment to think about the environment. It also coincides with the time of year people begin doing some spring cleaning and re-evaluate if they really need that 10 year old computer, 3 year old cell phone or 5 year old eReader.

Once you decide to get rid of your old tech, don’t just throw it in the trash. That not only harms the environment — think leaking batteries and corrupted metals — but also robs the device of a second life. Yes, even your old stuff may yet be useful.

Instead of trashing electronics, recycle them. You might even get a little bit of money for your trouble or even do some good.

Related: What Happens to Recycled Gadgets, Monitors and Computers (video)

Those of you who’ve contemplated selling your old iPhone or iPad are probably familiar with trade-in sites that will take your old device for money. Most of them will take more than just Apple devices, most concentrate on small mobile electronics.

Gazelle, Nextworth, Amazon and eBay are some of the biggest names in trade-in. You can also compare offers from multiple sites via USell.com.

Read: Trade-In Wars — eBay Instant Sale vs. Gazelle vs. Nextworth vs. Amazon

Good trade-in sites will pay for shipping, so all you have to do is find a box to send in your device and schedule a pick-up, if available. Some will also take devices even if they have no trade-in value in order to recycle them safely. eBay is great for this.

Many major electronics chains and Goodwill stores do on-site electronics recycling. They’ll take whole devices or just cables, peripherals or batteries. In these cases you may not get any money, but your stuff won’t just end up in a landfill.

Visit Earth911.com to find a recycling center near you.

Earth Day 2012: Recycle Your Mobile Tech, Batteries and Other Electronics is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

Amazon is blowing out Sprint 4G models this month. You can grab one of seven hot Sprint phones until April 30th for 1 cent. Of course, like most of these cool deals, you have to be a new subscriber and sign a contract, which I believe includes a commitment to a $79.99 unlimited data plan. The promotion ends April 30th or when stock is gone. All seven models were in stock at the time of this post.

So, if you are off contract with another carrier and considering moving to Sprint, you have you choice between 5 different Android models, some with color choices and all capable of running at 4G speeds on Sprint’s network.

Here are the models you can choose from according to Amazon.

• Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G, Black | (GottaBeMobile Review)
• Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G, White | (GottaBeMobile Review)
• HTC EVO Design 4G | (GottaBeMobile Review)
• HTC EVO 3D 4G, Black | (GottBeMobile Review)
• Samsung Epic 4G  | (GottBeMobile Review)
• Samsung Nexus S 4G
• HTC EVO 3D 4G, Plum | (GottBeMobile Review)

Which one would you snag or would you wait for the Galaxy Nexus? I think I would rather pay $199 for the Galaxy Nexus personally, but if money wasn’t right and I needed to grab one of these, I would definitely pick up the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch in white. I had the AT&T Galaxy S II Skyrocket and loved it but changed carriers so had to let it go. The HTC EVO Design would be my next choice.

Amazon is Selling Sprint 4G Phones for 1 Cent is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.