Anniversary’s are a time to celebrate and FreedomPop chose to commemorate the occasion by introducing their first ever FreedomPop-branded mobile device and a price designed to make it affordable to the broadest audience as possible. Check out the release and highlights of the resulting coverage below.
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 1, 2014 – Celebrating FreedomPop’s one year anniversary of the world’s first completely free mobile service with free voice, text and data, the company continues its mission to bring free mobile to the masses with the introduction of its first FreedomPop-branded devices, all priced under $100 MSRP.
The device shipping today is the FreedomPop Liberty, a 6.7-inch, 4GB Android phablet with wi-fi at $89 MSRP. Coming in the next month is the FreedomPop Frenzy, a 10-inch, 4GB LTE Android tablet at $99; followed by an $89 LTE Android phone in the coming months; and an expansion of its high-end devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Note 3 that will retail for almost half of the current MSRP available today.
The FreedomPop Liberty, FreedomPop’s entry level phablet, is larger than the Apple iPhone 6 Plus (6.7 inches for FreedomPop versus 5.5 inches for Apple) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (5.7 inches), yet retails for a fraction of the price (FreedomPop Liberty with free voice and text at $89 versus $749 for Apple iPhone 6 Plus with 16GB, without contract, or Samsung Galaxy Note 4 on AT&T at $664.99 without contract). The FreedomPop Liberty was kept wi-fi-only to ensure the lowest price, but users looking to roam over cellular can bundle a FreedomPop hotspot with 500 MBs free data per month for a one-time cost of $49.
“While Apple and Samsung battle at the high end of the phablet market with the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4 costing more than $600, FreedomPop is ensuring that anyone can get the same super-sized experience at a super-affordable price,” said Steven Sesar, FreedomPop’s COO. “We are focused on bringing low cost devices to accompany free mobile service to ensure no one is left behind.”
All devices come with FreedomPop’s 100 percent free text and voice service giving users 200 voice minutes and 500 texts free each month.
Sesar added, “FreedomPop will continue to sell its current product line of third-party phones and tablets with voice, text and data capabilities, but today marks the first step toward FreedomPop’s own low cost, private-labeled devices designed with our customers in mind.”
FreedomPop’s appeal spans users who want a low-cost way to access the mobile Internet through to users looking for an affordable, high-end device with free voice, data and text – either as a primary device or “+1”.
To order a FreedomPop Liberty, Frenzy, or any of the family of mobile devices, and to sign up for the FreedomPop service now, go to freedompop.com/liberty.
FreedomPop also launches new OTT (over-the-top) Android app that provides free calls, texts and voicemail to the millions of U.S. Android device users
FreedomPop, America’s free mobile service company, today announced its official shift to Sprint’s LTE network with the launch of its LTE phone lineup including the Samsung Victory, Galaxy S3, and the Galaxy S4. All new LTE devices will come with the same free service that hundreds of thousands of Americans already enjoy, which includes 500 MB of data, 200 voice calls and 500 texts free each month.
In addition, the company also announced the launch of its new “Unlimited Everything” plan for $20 per month providing unlimited talk, text and data. Free tethering will also be included on all new LTE phones so that they can easily and affordably be used as hotspots as well. After 1GB of data has been used for the month, LTE speeds will be limited to 3G speeds.
The company also announced the launch of its free, over-the-top (OTT) communications app on Android. The app allows any android user to take advantage of FreedomPop’s free voice and text services, while providing a new phone number, voice calls and texts – free. It is also the first OTT app that will allow users to port an existing number. Get the new Android app here http://fpop.co/app.
“Now that we have complete access to the most expansive wireless network, we are able to fully upgrade our device portfolio to the high-end smartphones that our customers want,” said Steven Sesar, FreedomPop’s COO.
The high-end Samsung smartphones join the growing list of mobile phones and devices available to FreedomPop users since its launch including the iPhone 5 and a number of other Android smartphones and wifi hotspots. To order one of the newly offered Samsung phones on FreedomPop and to sign up for service now, go to http://www.freedompop.com
Coverage Highlights
CNET
Free phone service FreedomPop unveils $20 ‘Unlimited’ plan
By Lance Whitney
May 22, 2014
http://www.cnet.com/news/free-phone-service-freedompop-unveils-20-dollar-unlimited-plan/
FierceWireless
Sprint MVNO FreedomPop launches $20 LTE plan, adds Samsung phones to lineup
By Phil Goldstein
May 22, 2014
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-mvno-freedompop-launches-20-lte-plan-adds-samsung-phones-lineup/2014-05-22
TWICE
FreedomPop Expands LTE, Adds Unlimited Everything Plan
By Joseph Pelanchar
May 22, 2014
http://www.twice.com/news/smartphones/freedompop-expands-lte-adds-unlimited-everything-plan/45366
GigaOm
FreedomPop joins the ranks of carriers offering limited “unlimited” data plans
By Kevin Fitchard
May 22, 2014
https://gigaom.com/2014/05/22/freedompop-joins-the-ranks-of-carriers-offering-limited-unlimited-data-plans/
Engadget
$20 FreedomPop ‘Unlimited Everything’ plan includes 1GB of Sprint LTE, limits
By Zach Honig
May 22, 2014
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/22/freedompop-unlimited-everything
The Next Web
FreedomPop approaches 250000 subscribers for its free mobile service
By Josh Ong
May 23, 2014
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/05/23/freedompop-approaches-250000-subscribers-free-wireless-carrier-service/
PhoneScoop
FreedomPop Adds Three LTE Samsung Phones to Lineup
By Eric Zeman
May 22, 2014
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=14113
WirelessWeek
FreedomPop Launches $20 Unlimited Everything Plan, LTE Phones, Android App
By Ben Munson
May 22, 2014
http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2014/05/freedompop-launches-20-unlimited-everything-plan-lte-phones-android-app
Telecompetitor
FreedomPop unveils new LTE phones, unlimited mobile plan
By Joan E.
May 22, 2014
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/freedompop-unveils-new-lte-phones-new-unlimited-mobile-plan–1015425
Gizmodo
You Can Now Get Totally Free Voice, Texts, and Data on a Galaxy S4
By Ashley Feinberg
May 22, 2014
http://gizmodo.com/you-can-now-get-totally-free-voice-texts-and-data-on-1580021339
MultiChannelNews
FreedomPop Adds LTE Phones To Arsenal
By Jeff Baumgartner
May 22, 2014
http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/freedompop-adds-lte-phones-arsenal/374712
AndroidPolice
FreedomPop Unveils Free Voice And Text App, New $20 ‘Unlimited’ Plan With Access To Sprint LTE, And More
By Bert King
May 22, 2014
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/05/22/new-app-freedompop-unveils-free-voice-text-app-new-20-unlimited-plan-access-sprint-lte/
LOS ANGELES, CA – April 29, 2014 – FreedomPop, America’s fastest growing mobile service company, today introduced the first free mobile service plans for the Apple iPhone. FreedomPop, which launched the world’s only free mobile phone service late last year on select Android devices, is now adding the popular iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 models to its growing portfolio of smartphone service plans. The company also announced the launch of its new iOS app, FreedomPop Free Voice and Text, which will provide any iOS device user free voice, text and voicemail.
“With iPhones now making up almost 50 percent of the US smartphone market and their users burdened by expensive service plans, supporting iOS is a top priority for us,” said Steven Sesar, COO of FreedomPop. “Adding the iPhone and launching our iOS app allows us to deliver our free service to a market desperate for a break from high-cost plans.”
Since launching its free mobile service plan, FreedomPop has experienced a momentous response, signing up hundreds of thousands of new customers. The company also offers customers the ability to bring their own device, and is continually adding eligible phones to its device portfolio, including the iPhone 4 and 5 models announced today. FreedomPop will sell the iPhone 5 directly through its website for $349. Customers can bring their existing iPhone 4 device and activate on the website upon signing up for service. Both devices are offered the same low-cost, disruptive pricing plans as its other smartphones. The free plan will include 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500 MBs of data per month. Unlimited voice, text and data plans will start at under $5 per month.
With the launch of its new iOS app, FreedomPop allows any iPhone user stuck in an existing contract to save hundreds of dollars per year by downgrading their voice plans and leveraging FreedomPop’s free voice and text service directly from their existing phone. Today, any iPhone, iPad or iPod user can download FreedomPop’s new communication app, which provides free calls, texts and voicemail. Customers also have the option to port their existing number to FreedomPop or select a new one. For the new iOS app, visit our page on the iTunes store (http://fpop.co/ios).
To order the iPhone 5 or activate your current iPhone 4 on FreedomPop and to sign up for service now, go to www.FreedomPop.com/iphone
Here are some of the articles that appeared around the news:
CNN Money
Virtual operator FreedomPop brings its freemium service to the iPhone
April 29, 2014
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/articles/2014_04_28_virtual_operator_freedompop_brings_its_freemium_service_to_the_iphone.html
re/code
FreedomPop to Sell First Apple Devices, Offering iPhone 5 With Its Free and Low-Cost Plans
By Ina Fried
April 28, 2014
http://recode.net/2014/04/28/freedompop-to-sell-first-apple-devices-offering-iphone-5-with-its-free-and-low-cost-plans/
USA Today
FreedomPop goes to China to upend U.S. smartphone market
By John Shinal
April 28, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/shinal/2014/04/28/freedom-pop-goes-to-china-to-upend-us-smartphone-market/8124559/
USA Today
Smartphone refurbishing is going mainstream
By John Shinal
April 28, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/shinal/2014/04/28/ebay-masayoshi-son-brightstar-smartphone-market/8418491/
PC Magazine
FreedomPop Adds iPhone to Lineup
By Chloe Albenesius
April 29, 2014
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2457255,00.asp
CNET
Free iPhone use? FreedomPop proves it’s possible
By Don Reisinger
April 29, 2014
http://www.cnet.com/news/free-iphone-use-freedompop-proves-its-possible/
GigaOm
Virtual operator FreedomPop brings its freemium service to the iPhone
By Kevin Fitchard
April 29, 2014
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/28/virtual-operator-freedompop-brings-its-freemium-service-to-the-iphone/
TheNextWeb
FreedomPop’s free mobile service comes to the iPhone
By Roberto Baldwin
April 28, 2014
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2014/04/29/freedompops-free-mobile-service-comes-iphone/
LifeHacker
FreedomPop Unveils New Free iPhone Voice, Text, and Data Plans
By Alan Henry
April 29, 2014
http://lifehacker.com/freedompop-unveils-new-free-iphone-voice-text-and-dat-1568944798?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+(Lifehacker)
Engadget
You can now use the iPhone for free, as long as you don’t mind old gear
By Jon Fingas
April 29, 2014
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/29/freedompop-iphone/?ncid=rss_truncated
CIO
Get Free Data, Talk and Text When You Buy an iPhone from FreedomPop –
By Bill Snyder
April 29, 2014
http://blogs.cio.com/mobilewireless/18551/freedompop-apple-iphone-sprint-data-plan
ZDNET
FreedomPop announces free voice and data plans for iPhone
By Jason O’Grady
April 29, 2014
http://www.zdnet.com/freedompop-announces-free-voice-and-data-plans-for-iphone-7000028860/
GizModo
Now You Can Get Totally Free Voice, Texts, and Data on Your iPhone
By Jamie Condliffe
April 29, 2014
http://gizmodo.com/now-you-can-get-totally-free-voice-texts-and-data-on-1569143815
FierceWireless
FreedomPop to sell refurbished LTE iPhone 5 for $349
By Mike Dano
April 28, 2014
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/freedompop-sell-refurbished-lte-iphone-5-349/2014-04-28?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss
FierceWireless
FreedomPop to sell refurbished LTE iPhone 5 for $349
By Mike Dano
April 28, 2014
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/freedompop-sell-refurbished-lte-iphone-5-349/2014-04-28
Light Reading
FreedomPop Gets LTE iPhone, Free iOS App
By Dan Jones
April 28, 2014
http://www.lightreading.com/mobile/devices-smartphones/freedompop-gets-lte-iphone-free-ios-app/d/d-id/708818?_mc=RSS_LR_EDT
TWICE
FreedomPop Extends Free And Low-Cost Service To iPhones
By Joseph Palenchar
April 29, 2014
http://www.twice.com/articletype/news/freedompop-extends-free-and-low-cost-service-iphones/110761
BGR
You can now get completely free calling, texting and data on your iPhone
By Zach Epstein
April 29, 2014
http://bgr.com/2014/04/29/iphone-5-freedompop-free-data/
RCRWireless
FreedomPop adds iPhone 5, taps into Sprint’s LTE network
By Dan Meyer
April 29, 2014
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20140428/carriers/freedompop-adds-iphone-5-taps-sprints-lte-network/
TelecomPaper
FreedomPop offering iPhone on free service plan
April 29, 2014
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/freedompop-offering-iphone-on-free-service-plan–1010850
SlashGear
FreedomPop launches refurbished iPhone 5 on its calling plans
By Shane McGlaun
April 29, 2014
http://www.slashgear.com/freedompop-launches-refurbished-iphone-5-on-its-calling-plans-29326822/
MacLife
Overnight Recap: MacBook Air Price Cut, FreedomPop iPhone, Re/code Event
By J.R. Bookwalter
April 29, 2014
http://www.maclife.com/article/news/overnight_recap_macbook_air_price_cut_freedompop_iphone_recode_event
9to5 Mac
FreedomPop now supports iPhone 4/5 on its free wireless plans, launches iOS app for free voice & text
By Jordan Kahn
April 28, 2014
http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/28/freedompop-now-supports-iphone-45-on-its-free-wireless-plans-launches-ios-app-for-free-voice-text/
AppAdvice
FreedomPop Adds iPhone 5, iPhone 4 To Its Free No-Contract Plans
By Joe White
April 29, 2014
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2014/04/freedompop-adds-iphone-5-iphone-4-to-its-free-no-contract-plans
The world’s greatest marathon goes digital next year as runners everywhere in the world are invited to line up on a virtual start line at 10:00 on Sunday, April 26, 2015 to run the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon.
The Virgin Money London Marathon, in partnership with Paofit, has created a unique interactive 3D running experience that combines HD video of the famous London course with virtual reality avatars, making the unique experience of running the London Marathon available to treadmill runners everywhere.
“Imagine lining up in Greenwich and hearing the cheers of the crowd as you run past the famous London landmarks of the CuttySark, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace to the finish on The Mall, experiencing the unique atmosphere of the day without ever leaving your home or gym,” says Race Director Hugh Brasher.
Participating runners will download the Paofit app to an iPad(iPhone shortly and Android later in the year) and set it on a treadmill.The vibration generated by running on the treadmill makes the course ahead speed up, slow down or come to a complete stop, reflecting the runner’s step count. Runners will see their own running avatar and the avatars of the other participants in real-time and can overtake – or be overtaken – on screen.
Runners using Life Fitness Track+ or Discover console treadmills will experience the treadmill incline as it automatically matches the real terrain of the course on the video.Runners can participate as individuals or as a relay team.
The new technology was demonstrated today (Friday) at the Virgin Money London Marathon Expo in the ExCeL centre as runners tried out the Digital Showcase experience which features four miles of the London course.
“Over the years, nearly two million people have been unable to get a place in London Marathon through our ballot,” says Brasher. “Now, with our digital partners Paofit, we are opening the greatest marathon in the world to treadmill runners, everywhere. We hope it will inspire many more runners to take up the marathon challenge and, by doing so, raise even more money for charitable causes.”
“The Digital Virgin Money London Marathon will make the world’s greatest marathon accessible to people across the world, 365 days of the year,” says Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.
“Paofit is the first and only company to combine HD video of running courses with virtual reality avatars to make treadmill running fun and social,” says Marc Hardy, CEO of Paofit. “We’re excited to be able to give any indoor runner the chance to experience the course, from novice runners to experienced racers.”
To register for the 2015 Digital Virgin Money London Marathon, visit www.digitallondonmarathon.com . Full registration information will be sent out later in the year.
Try it out now! Log on to www.paofit.com to download the app and a free sample of one mile of the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon course.
Runner’s World
Run the Virtual London Marathon
April 11, 2014
http://www.runnersworld.com/electronics/run-the-virtual-london-marathon?page=single
BBC Sport
London Marathon launches ‘Digital Marathon’
April 11, 2014
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/athletics/26989649
Reuters
Virtual reality opens London Marathon to all
April 11, 2014
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/04/11/uk-athletics-marathon-virtual-idUKBREA3A18320140411
Huffington Post
Now You Can Run the London Marathon From Your Treadmill, Thanks to Virtual Reality
April 11, 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/london-marathon-virtual-reality_n_5133309.html?ir=Technology
Inside the Games
Guaranteed entry for the London Marathon – through virtual reality
April 11, 2014
http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/athletics/1019421-guaranteed-entry-for-the-london-marathon-through-virtual-reality
Runner’s Web
Athletics: Virgin Money London Marathon Goes Digital
April 11, 2014
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2014/rw_news_20140411_London_Marathon.html
The Malaysian Insider
Virtual reality opens London Marathon to all
April 11, 2014
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sports/article/virtual-reality-opens-london-marathon-to-all
FanSided
‘Virtual reality’ London Marathon coming in 2015
By Stu White
April 12, 2014
http://fansided.com/2014/04/12/virtual-reality-london-marathon-coming-2015/#!D4EP3
MedCity News
Travel the world on a treadmill (and beat the boredom) with a virtual reality exercise app
By Deanna Polgorelc
April 11, 2014
http://medcitynews.com/2014/04/wow-week-virtual-reality-meets-treadmill-beat-exercise-blues/
Azumio is a real pioneer in the health and wellness category. Last year they announced a cool app that essentially transformed an iPhone into a Fitbit, for free. Here is a snapshot of the coverage we generated, including a nice print piece in The New York Times, plus big stories in Reuters, USA Today, and several broadcast hits.
We generated all this without breaking a sweat, as most of us are athletic anyway 😉
FreedomPop’s launch of the Freedom Phone in October, response was “off the hook” as demand flooded the company and they sold out of their inventory in 24 hours. The team worked furiously to deliver more options to consumers who wanted to bring their cell phones to zero and today they announced a “bring your own phone” plan that allows owners of select Sprint phones to join the FreedomPop network to enjoy the benefits of free voice, data and text.
In addition, the company is now offering a $99 HTC Evo 4G which also comes with a lifetime of free voice, text and data.
Below is a snapshot of some of the coverage around the announcement this morning, with more stories expected to be coming soon.
Congratulations to the FreedomPop team!
FreedomPop Sample Coverage:
ForbesFreedomPop Plans to bring Cheap Calling Service to the iPhoneBy Parmy OlsonNovember 19, 2013http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2013/11/19/freedompop-plans-to-bring-cheap-calling-service-to-the-iphone/ Fast CompanyThese Smartphones can now get free talk, text and data thanks to FreedomPopBy Pranav DixitNovember 19, 2013http://www.fastcompany.com/3021892/fast-feed/these-sprint-smartphones-can-now-get-free-talk-text-and-data-thanks-to-freedompop GigaOmGot an old Sprint phone? FreedomPop will activate it under its freemium plansBy Kevin FitchardNovember 19, 2013http://gigaom.com/2013/11/19/got-an-old-sprint-phone-freedompop-will-activate-it-under-its-freemium-plans/ BusinessWeekA New Use for old Sprint PhonesNovember 19, 2013http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-19/a-new-use-for-old-sprint-phones PC MagazineFreedomPop Launches Free Phone Service With Sprint PhonesBy Sascha SeganNovember 19, 2013http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2427326,00.asp Gizmodo10 Old Sprint Phones Can Now Get Totally Free Voice, Texts, and DataBy Eric LimerNovember 19, 2013http://gizmodo.com/10-old-sprint-phones-can-now-get-totally-free-voice-te-1467027252 TheNextWebFreedomPop now lets you use old Sprint phones on its free mobile serviceBy Josh OngNovember 19, 2013http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2013/11/19/freedompop-now-lets-bring-phone-free-mobile-service/ Wireless WeekFreedomPop intros bring your own phone optionBy Ben MunsonNovember 19, 2013http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2013/11/freedompop-intros-bring-your-own-phone-option EngadgetFreedomPop now lets you bring your own phone, offers $99 HTC Evo 4GBy Jon FingasNovember 19, 2013http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/19/freedompop-now-lets-you-bring-your-own-phone/ 9to5MacFreedomPop expanding free wireless plan to all Sprint smartphones, iPhones includedBy Jordan KhanNovember 19, 2013http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/19/freedompop-expanding-free-wireless-plan-to-all-sprint-devices-iphones-included/ Mobile MagazineHow to Get Free Talk, Text and Data on Sprint Via FreedomPop BYOD By Michael KwanNovember 19, 2013http://www.mobilemag.com/2013/11/19/get-free-talk-text-data-sprint-via-freedompop-byod/ Android PoliceFreedomPop Now Lets You Activate Some Sprint Devices On Its Free Phone ServiceBy Ryan WhitwamNovember 19, 2013http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/11/19/freedompop-now-lets-you-activate-some-sprint-devices-on-its-free-phone-service/ Android GuysFreedomPop Debuts Bring your own phone plan, now offering HTC Evo 4GBy Scott WebsterNovember 19, 2013http://www.androidguys.com/2013/11/19/freedompop-debuts-bring-phone-plan-now-offering-htc-evo-4g/ Telecom PaperFreedomPop launches “Bring your own phone” initiativeNovember 19, 2013http://www.telecompaper.com/news/freedompop-launches-bring-your-own-phone-initiative–980790 TechHiveBring your own phone to FreedomPop, get free serviceBy Jared NewmanNovember 19, 2013http://www.techhive.com/article/2064686/bring-your-own-phone-to-freedompop-get-free-service.html Hot HardwareFreedomPop Expands Free Smartphone Plan Offerings, Bring Your Own Sprint PhoneBy Seth ColanerNovember 19, 2013http://hothardware.com/News/FreedomPop-Expands-Free-Smartphone-Plan-Offerings-Bring-Your-Own-Sprint-Phone/ Android AuthorityFreedomPop introduces new BYOD plan: gives you free voice, text and dataBy Andrew GrushNovember 19, 2013http://www.androidauthority.com/freedompop-byod-318058/ Phone DogFreedomPop now supports old Sprint phones on free service plan, also selling HTC EVO 4GAlex WagnerNovember 19, 2013http://www.phonedog.com/2013/11/19/freedompop-now-supports-old-sprint-phones-on-free-service-plan-also-selling-htc-evo-4g/ UpRoxxFreedomPop Brings Free Calls, Text, And Data To Your Old Sprint PhoneBy Dan SeitzNovember 19, 2013http://www.uproxx.com/technology/2013/11/freedompop-brings-free-calls-text-data-old-sprint-phone/ LiliputingUse your old Sprint phone with FreedomPop’s free phone serviceBy Brad LinderBy November 19, 2013http://liliputing.com/2013/11/use-old-sprint-phone-freedompops-free-phone-service.html My Android ChiefFreedomPop Introduces New BYOD Plan: Gives You Free Voice, Text And DataBy November 19, 2013http://myandroidchief.com/freedompop-introduces-new-byod-plan-gives-you-free-voice-text-and-data/ DSLReportsFreedomPop Starts Allowing Older Sprint PhonesBy Karl BodeNovember 19, 2013http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FreedomPop-Starts-Allowing-Older-Sprint-Phones-126721Michael Finney of San Francisco ABC-affiliate KGO News has a special segment on Friday where he features a cool product that viewers can receive for free. Here he’s talking about the LifeTrak activity monitor, which is paired with Azumio‘s Argus health and wellness app. The offer sold out within minutes, highlighting the demand for a quality, easy-to-use activity monitor with rich, actionable data that can be analyzed and easily viewed on your smartphone. (This is the same activity monitor that Coach Harbaugh of the 49ers loves.)
While you can no longer get LifeTrak through this offer, you can still obtain it through their website, and as always, you can download Azumio’s Argus for free, anytime, at www.azumio.com/argus.
It’s that time of the year when you might be thinking about losing a couple of inches, or eating a bit healthier, or making that date-night promise a reality. Well, sometimes a little peer pressure is the secret to accomplishing goals. NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate spotlighted Astrid, the best social productivity app you’ll find for your smartphone. Make a list of the things you want to do and invite your friends, colleagues, and/or family to give you props or smack downs. I like to use it as a friendly reminder for my peeps. Saves me from doing the dirty work and makes us all look good. Give it a spin at Astrid.com or follow them at @weloveastrid
With more than 2.5 million downloads on Android, today Astrid brings its leading social productivity app to the iPhone. Astrid lets you update your To Do lists via email, text and voice as it provides you with statistics on the whether your tasks are active, completed, inspiring others to finish a job or simply something you’ve supported with comments.
I’m so excited, as I can now use Astrid to gently poke and prod my peeps with Astrid’s playful reminders that will make the team smile as they get things done (I’m sure they’ll enjoy it more than my barrage of emails at all hours of the day and night). You see, it’s one thing to set up your own to-do list. But it’s another thing when you also rely on others to get things done. Have you reviewed that press release yet? Queued it up on PR Newswire? Have you guys pitched the release to x, y, and z? Now I can set up my list of To Do’s for the team and see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. Of course, the team can also see when I’ve been slacking off and falling behind on my list as well (hmmm, better make this post short as I gotta get back to my Astrid list…).
Astrid is backed by Google Ventures, Jump Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners and is available at www.astrid.com. Follow them on Twitter at @weloveastrid.
Calling all hustlers, hackers and entrepreneurs – you’re invited to the Fleetly Startup Challenge
While we all love working at a startup and enjoy trying to make a difference in the world, we know it’s challenging and sometimes all consuming. As Paul Graham said, “what a startup (bootstrapped or not) takes is 100% of your performance, not 100% of your time. And optimizing for performance means spending some time on maintenance.” So here’s our chance to get the startup community in shape, have a little competitive fun, and promote a good cause.
The details:
There are going to be a few extra prizes for the winners, as well as something for all the teams that pass a set threshold, (Fleetly is keeping that secret for now) so get out there do some push-ups and go for a run in the park before the snow starts falling.
Fleetly also would like to encourage everyone to help make that $500 donation turn into a $2,000 donation by adding to the prize money on our Right to Play fundraiser site, which you can link to through the challenge page. They know many startups are bootstrapped right now but this really is a great organization that is making a big difference in people’s lives.
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The image above shows what happened to test subjects when they were exposed to a cell phone receiving a call for 50 minutes. A portion of their brain became more active; burning more energy. What does this mean to us?
“We have no idea what this means yet or how it works,” said neuroscientist Nora Volkow of the National Institutes of Health. “But this is the first reliable study showing the brain is activated by exposure to cellphone radio frequencies.”
Hmm, that doesn’t sound reassuring. A few weeks ago, I was commuting on the SF to Larkspur Ferry and sat across from a lawyer who was working on a class-action lawsuit against cell phone providers to require them to disclose the amount of radiation we were exposed to on each phone. He said the iPhone was particularly dangerous, as the antennae issue meant that the phone was struggling to receive a signal more often than not, which meant it was working harder, which meant our gray matter was ingesting more radiation.
Brain imaging physicist Dardo Tomasi of Brookhaven National Laboratory, who co-authored the new brain-scan-based work, to be published Feb. 23 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed radiation emitted from a cellphone’s antenna during a call makes nearby brain tissue use 7 percent more energy. Apparently, that’s several times less activity than visual brain regions show during an engaging movie, but Mr. Tomasi goes on to state:
“The effect is very small, but it’s still unnatural. Nature didn’t prepare our brains for this.”
Sounds like a very good reason to invest in a headset to keep those rays further away from your brain, and while you’re at it, maybe it’s a good idea to occasionally unplug and put that thing into “airplane mode” at night to ensure your insides aren’t swaying to the sounds of the “dit ditta dit ditta dit” that you hear when you’re phone is next to radio.
Live long and prosper.
It may be odd to say, but I confess it did make me feel better to receive messages of assurance from people I didn’t know. And while the outlets for social media are becoming more a channel for marketing and pyramid schemes, there remains the ability to connect to humankind in meaningful ways that aren’t anchored in “get rich quick” or “work from home and make $1500 a day” pitches.
So, as for my predictions for 2010… I think there’s something to be said about the massive popularity of the Wedding Dance video and the pure, authentic joy that was palpable when we watched it. The vulnerability of Susan Boyle as she shyly walked on stage and then belted out with the voice of an angel. We’ve been living in hard times, burdened by joblessness, recession, foreclosures, and furloughs. We are reminded of our failures and flaws. And at the same time, we see how sometimes unadulterated greed and ambition actually nets monetary riches (but we always feel better when the “bad guy” gets nabbed!). When we see people dancing with love and spirit, or we see the underdog succeed, we cheer and smile. 2010 will help us cheer and smile even more as we return back to the basics of human contact and passionate pursuits (art, food, music), enabled and empowered by technology.
Everyone is an artist. You might not agree, but it’s probably because your teacher in second grade didn’t confirm your doodles were original, inspired art forms and they likely didn’t encourage you to continue doodling – everywhere and anywhere (okay, there was probably some merit to that admonition). Now, while we’re not all artists at the level of Picasso or Warhol, there are many who have made fame and fortunes in galleries. And with the popularity of websites like Etsy, ArtistaDay, TalentHouse and others, amateur and semi-pro artists have a wider forum to share and sell their creations – with or without gallery representation. With more to express, more people will find different forms of art as outlets, leading to more communities of painters, poets, sculptors and sketchers. There are even fantastic applications like Brushes on the iPhone that allows anyone to finger-paint a masterpiece, even while stuck in the middle of a packed bus.
Twitter became a game of collecting followers. Best illustrated by Ashton Kutcher’s campaign to get 1M followers, we secretly smiled whenever we got another 5 in one day. We had fun exchanges with strangers who sometimes even became either virtual or real-life friends. And now that many of us have a few followers, we’re looking for the connection with these folks. Can I talk to them about my interest in growing kabocha squash? Or will that automatically result in 200 less followers? I know there’s a wealth of information out there in the group of Twitterers, but I don’t always want to spam the group with myNike+ running results and likewise don’t want to hear about somebody’s Mafia Wars score every 5 minutes either. How do we cultivate relationships online and bring these masses into more bite-sized morsels to get greater satisfaction? I don’t know how it will be achieved, but I’m sure somebody is on it.
In addition to services like Last.FM, Rhapsody, MOG, Napster, Pandora and more, 2010 will finally see the US launch of Spotify, as well as the global launch of Rdio from the founders of Skype. Music has always been a way for people to connect – sharing tastes and preferences for artists, genres, and hits. It illuminates a side of one’s personality that isn’t evident on first glance. Are you a progressive house fan? A rocker? Country, blues or jazz aficionado? The questions on how to make cloud-based music work (i.e. profitable) for all constituents involved is a complicated matter, but consumers are ready to take tunes on the go – and not just the tunes they’ve purchased on the walled garden of iTunes.
My general prediction for 2010 is a celebration of creativity. Technologies that enable us to consume, create, and connect will surpass those that allow us to simply collect.
2010 will be the year of: Creativity. Connection. Authenticity. Trust. Sharing.
See and download the full gallery on posterous
Sent from my iPhone
The team descended upon GigaOm‘s Mobilize conference yesterday and was surprised to find the press attending had swollen to about 200, which is quite impressive given I heard the overall attendees were around 800. Why so many press so suddenly? Motorola announced a new phone at the conference called the Cliq, which utilizes Google‘s Android operating system. The whizz factor of the phone is the visually stimulating screen packed with pictures and text bubbles that illustrate social media conversations come alive.
“I can’t imagine in five to seven years’ time, consumers not thinking of this” (cut to Motorola’s co-CEO Sanjay Jha shaking his phone at Om Malik, founder of GigaOm) “as their primary computer.”
I agreed with Jha. I too believe the phone is heading in the direction of the PC and can’t wait for the day I can go through an airport security line and not have to lug out my behemoth Dell and then get electrocuted when I pick it up after it’s gone through the x-ray scan.
Another highlight of the day for us was supporting CEO of Flirtomatic, Mark Curtis, at the conference. He spoke on the “Monetizing Mobile Apps” panel and had some great stats to share:
“A mobile user is 3 times more likely to spend money on our service than an internet user.”
“Mobile advertising has a great future ahead, but it’s currently only 25% of Flirtomatic’s current revenue. Flirtomatic sells mobile advertising to it’s users so that users bid the most exposure on Flirtomatic. Flirtomatic gets the most exposure: 4x CPM on user-based-advertising vs brand-based advertising.”
When asked how do developers monetize mobile web apps, Mark responded:
“I think they need a 3-5 year plan. It’s possible to monetize mobile web apps, but it’s not easy. “When the [carrier] revenue share on billing gets to a more reasaonable level, I’m going to be doing handsprings.”
Posted via email from Kathy’s posterous
Posted via web from Kathy’s posterous