Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 09-11-2014

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Beats you to it: Philips launches first Apple Lightning headphones Sep 11th 2014, 15:38, by Hugh Langley Earlier this year we reported that Apple was opening its Made for iPhone program to include headphones that will connect through the Lightning port, and Philips has just announced that it'll be first on the scene. The Fidelio M2L headphones connect to an iPhone or iPod through the Lightning dock to deliver high resolution 24-bit Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC), while the cans themselves will also house amplifiers. And if you want to get into the real nitty gritty, the M2L's 40mm high magnet intensity neodymium speaker drivers aim to give you a wide ranging sound, while the closed-back design provides noise isolation. After the announcement that Apple had bought beats, expectations were that we'd see some kind of collaborative headphone/earphone effort that would take advantage of the Lightning connector. If that's still the case, it'll no longer be worthy of a 'world's first' crown. Philips Fidelio E2 review Could Apple disrupt the merchant banking space with the Watch? Sep 11th 2014, 15:06, by Jo Coombs The announcement of Apple's iPhone 6 was a little underwhelming. Yes, it boasts a slimmer frame, a larger screen and more battery power but this isn't a revolutionary upgrade. What did catch everyone's attention was Apple's first foray, be it rather late, into the increasingly attractive wearable tech market with the launch of its new smart watches range. The Apple Watch's USP is its movement and tracking diagnostics as well as its potential to be an enabler of the internet of things. But will Apple's legendary build quality shine through or will it suffer the same fate as its competition in the wearable tech market? What might make all the difference for Apple is its ability to tightly couple its hardware and software to create product interest and consumer value. The bank of Apple This is an area where everyone has struggled - what is the killer user case for integrating your phone with your watch? So far, that remains to be seen, though, no doubt, early adopters will buy first and find a use second. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, also revealed that the Apple Watch will feature a contactless payment function as it comes with the Apple Pay feature. Essentially, users can pay over the counter with the swipe of their Apple Watch. Not only does this give Apple a crucial edge over its immediate rivals such as Samsung's Gear, it also marks Apple's entry in to the highly competitive world of merchant banking. By introducing its contactless payment system to the Apple Watch and iPhone 6, Apple is now encroaching on the very same space as PayPal, Amazon and Square. Check our hands on review of the Apple Watch review To further strengthen its contactless payment offering, Apple has partnered with Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Moreover, Apple has convinced major retail and fast food chain businesses such as Nike, Disney, Subway and Toys R Us to incorporate its new mobile payment. Mobile payment has the very real potential to catch on if Apple is able to make the experience seamless for consumers. In fact Apple could suddenly find itself as one of the largest banks in the world. Stranger things have happened. Game changing As if aware of the looming threat that Apple now poses, shares of Ebay Inc., which operates the PayPal service, declined by 2.8% after Tim Cook had given his presentation. Google will also be another company concerned by Apple's incorporation of contactless payment within its Apple Watch product. Google's own mobile payment system, the Google Wallet, failed to gain any significant traction. But now that Apple has partnered with major brands, its Apple Pay systems has a better chance of finding success in this space. It is clear that Apple's move into contactless payments will significantly alter the mobile payment landscape but could it also alter the way retailers construct the shopping experience? Many retail outlets do not have contactless pay terminals since some still harbour reservations around the technology. However, Apple is a brand known to improve upon existing technologies. If Apple can innovate in the contactless payment space to the same degree it did in the smartphone and laptop categories, then this could inspire more retailers to embrace mobile payment. The customer shopping experience could be completely reshaped, particularly at the point-of-purchase. Security concerns? Although Apple has massive potential to bring mobile payment into the mainstream, the security concerns around mobile payments is still an issue that will irk some consumers. Only 18% of the British public have cited they trust a smartphone wallet from Apple according to a survey conducted earlier this year of 1500 smartphone users by research house Marketing Sciences. Notwithstanding the popularity of iTunes, consumers are weary of storing sensitive banking details on an Apple product. Check our hands on review of the Apple Pay Moreover, the recent furore surrounding leaked celebrity images supposedly from Apple's iCloud will not exactly strengthen Apple's argument that customers' bank details will be safe and secure. Despite this, Apple's brand perception by consumers is positive for the most part and it will no doubt work hard to alleviate customers' concerns. Apple's entrance into the wearable tech market with its Watch is a bold move. Its introduction of Apple Pay, which will be incorporated into the Apple Watch, is even bolder. When Apple first launched the iPhone, it significantly altered the smartphone landscape. No doubt, we can expect to see some fundamental changes in the merchant banking sector as Apple seeks to dominate the space with its first contactless payments wearable tech offering. Jo Coombs is Managing Director at OgilvyOne, a customer engagement agency with more than 100 offices in 50 countries. Apple iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy Note 4 to boost phablet demand for SMEs Sep 11th 2014, 14:41, by Desire Athow A survey carried out by 4G network EE revealed that 21% of British small businesses employees plan to use a phablet at work with a staggering 10% saying that they wouldn't mind using one to carry out all their work tasks on a day-to-day basis. More than 1000 small businesses were surveyed for the research and the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Apple's first large-screen smartphone, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus shows that there is a definite appetite in the market for big displays. Check our review of the Apple iPhone 6 Mike Tomlinson, Director of Small Business at EE, went as far as saying that "they are on the verge of becoming an indispensable business tool". Samsung pioneered the format with the original Galaxy Note and introduced some nifty features like a smart stylus. While so-called phablets have very high resolutions, whether or not they can be used without additional accessories or peripherals remains to be seen. Typing entire reports on a 5.5-inch screen wouldn't by any stretch be considered as stroll in the park. Instead, one can expect a flurry of products aimed at the ultra mobile worker to emerge over the next few months, all geared towards transforming your humble mobile into a proper workstation monster. Check our review of the Galaxy Note 4 Microsoft may drop Nokia and Windows Phone brands by Christmas Sep 11th 2014, 14:15, by Matt Hanson Though it hasn't been too long since Microsoft bought Nokia, it looks like the Redmond company might be dropping any references to Nokia starting from this Christmas. In an internal document seen by the GeekOnGadgets website that apparently originates from Microsoft Mobile, which used to be Nokia's devices and services division, a slide was found titled 'Product naming'. The slide states that "As part of our phased transition, we will drop the manufacturer name from product references during the Holiday campaign". The 'manufacturer name' refers to Nokia, with Lumia continuing as the brand. That means there won't be any more Nokia Lumia-branded devices, but we may begin seeing Microsoft Lumia handsets instead. Goodbye Windows Phone? Elsewhere in the documents it looks like Microsoft will also be dropping the 'Windows Phone' name and logo, with future devices simply sporting the Windows logo. This news ties in with new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's strategy of unifying Microsoft's products and services around Windows. It also gives credence to the rumours that Windows 9 will be a single operating system over smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs, which means there won't be a separate Windows Phone 9 mobile operating system. Super cheap 4G smartphones are just around the corner Sep 11th 2014, 12:02, by John McCann We're still waiting for 4G to dominate the mobile space, but it's slowly filtering down from the flagship smartphones to more affordable devices - and now we can expect even the cheapest handsets to boast a superfast connection. Qualcomm has taken the covers off its new Snapdragon 210 chip in Hong Kong, a processor it claims will bring 4G LTE to everyone. The entry-level offering is aimed squarely at budget devices sub $100, but Qualcomm promises it will still deliver decent performance - plus it uses the firm's Quick Charge technology for up to 75% faster charging. Low price, but no loss in features In terms of power the Snapdragon 210 offers up a 1.1GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 304 GPU, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi and LTE Advanced (CAT 4) connectivity with carrier aggregation offering data speeds of up to 150Mbps. What else may you be able to expect from these 4G-toting, sub $100 smartphones? Well the Snapdragon 210 can support screen resolutions of up to 720p, while camera support goes up to 8MP. We'll have to wait until early 2015 before we see the first devices roll off the production lines sporting the Snapdragon 210, but the budget market may be about to get a whole lot better. Samsung could bring Galaxy Alpha design to more affordable handsets Sep 11th 2014, 09:42, by Matt Hanson Hot on the heels of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha announcement, it looks like Samsung is readying itself for the launch of another smartphone – the SM-A500. The SM-A500, along with the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and two other rumoured handsets (the SM-A300 and SM-A700) will be part of Samsung's new A series of smartphones. Smartphones in Samsung's A series will share a number of features, such as premium all-metal bodies and much improved cameras, and will range from the high-end to the budget, with the SM-A500 being the mid-range offering. Underneath the metal skin Whilst the other handsets in the A series remain a mystery, a recent leak from SamMobile has given us a glance at the specs we can expect in the Samsung SM-A500. Apparently it will have a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720. It will have a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 16GB of internal storage and a 2330mAh battery. The all-metal body will include a hybrid slot for inserting both a microSD card and a nanoSIM, though you won't be able to remove the back to replace the battery. Camera-wise the SM-A500 is expected to have an 8MP fear camera, and a 5MP front-facing one. What we can take away from the specs of the SM-A500 is that Samsung looks keen to create a mid-range device with a premium feel to compete with the lower priced devices that are coming from Samsung's Chinese competitors. Will a shiny new case and improved cameras be enough to entice customers looking for a low to mid-range smartphone? It looks like we'll be finding out soon. HTC readies October 8 event, hints camera upgrade is on the way Sep 10th 2014, 21:48, by Cameron Faulkner HTC will be hosting an event on October 8 in New York City. The event, titled "Double Exposure," offers little in the way of teasing. But of course, this won't stop us from speculating. The company sent out invitations with the focal point on its excellent HTC One M8. Could we be hearing something about an updated Duo Camera? A more zany speculation could be that HTC will announce an attachable lens, similar to the Sony QX1. The subjects of the invite look like they could also be taking a (rather dull-looking) selfie, which might possibly suggest something in the way of new features or a bump in image quality for the phone's front-facing camera. Either way, we'll be there to see what HTC has cooking. Take a look below at the invite for yourself and tell us what you expect to see. Now see what we think of the HTC One M8 for Windows Phone Sorry Google Voice, but Hangouts just dialed up free voice calls Sep 10th 2014, 21:32, by JR Bookwalter Although many prefer to communicate via text messaging, there are still plenty of occasions to use good old-fashioned voice calls. With its latest round of updates, Google is bringing some vocals to Hangouts. a Google announced the availability of free voice calls from the Hangouts app for Android, iOS and web, which includes the ability to dial up regular phone numbers and other Hangouts users alike. Although Hangouts has always offered unique methods for sending messages or setting up group chats , outgoing voice calls have remained elusive, primarily the jurisdiction of the Google Voice service. That all changes with the updates, which also includes competitive rates for outgoing international voice calls as well. Service to mobile phones in France are priced at $0.03 per minute, Mexico $0.05 per minute and India a mere one cent per minute. Call me maybe Back in May, Google engineer Nikhyl Singhal confirmed plans to migrate the largely stagnant Google Voice service into Hangouts with outbound calls; incoming voice calls have already been supported from both Hangouts as well as Google Voice. Today's change finally delivers on that promise, making Hangouts more of a direct threat to competitors such as Microsoft-owned Skype, although Hangouts has yet to completely absorb Google Voice. Google also updated the existing Google Voice for iPhone app, finally delivering an iOS 7-style user interface, as well as enabling support for Google Voice integration in the Hangouts app. Google says outgoing voice calls from Hangouts will be available to iOS and web users the next time they open the app, and the feature is rolling out over the next few days to Android users with the latest version 2.3 update. Super-size your reading with our hands-on review of the iPhone 6 Plus! T-Mobile unveils free Wi-Fi calling and texting for everyone on all new devices Sep 10th 2014, 20:53, by Michelle Fitzsimmons T-Mobile continued its Un-carrier push version 7.0 today, dubbing this phase Wi-Fi Unleashed. CEO John Legere and Co. stressed during an event in San Francisco that Un-carrier 7.0 is about lifting barriers to connectivity, and unveiled a number of initiatives to do so. First off, all new smartphones offered by T-Mobile will come with Wi-Fi calling and texting. Every consumer and business customer will have access to the service, and the capabilities extend across the globe. Connectivity has no limits, Legere said, whether you're in your basement, man cave or elsewhere. The new T-Mobile Personal CellSpot, a router that delivers full-bar T-Mobile connectivity wherever customers have broadband, prioritizes calls over HD Voice so customers can keep talking no matter where they're located. CMO Mike Sievert stressed that while other users in the home may be streaming 1080p videos, the Personal CellSpot will put a T-Mobile call on top of the stack. There are no usage limits, and the CellSpot behaves like any normal router, save for prioritizing T-Mobile calls. "Starting right now, every single Wi-Fi connection just became a Wi-Fi tower," Legere said of T-Mobile's connect-you-anywhere push. The router, made by Asus, is free but requires a $25 deposit, and those who wish to remain anonymous (like prepaid customers) can buy one for $99. Finally, T-Mobile announced a partnership with Gogo to let its customers send and received unlimited text and picture messages, including visual voice mail, on all Gogo flights in the US. According to Sievert, Gogo services 8,000 flights in the US per day. More on that Wi-Fi calling line A Q&A session with T-Mobile's big wigs confirmed that only new devices will be able to take advantage of Wi-Fi calling and texting. Older devices, like Nexus phones, are out of luck. Sievert said going forward, T-Mobile will only sell Wi-Fi calling and texting enabled devices, so it technically shouldn't be an issue for new customers. Older ones, however, are less lucky. Wi-Fi calling and texting won't cost T-Mobile customers extra, and enabled devices will automatically connect to Wi-Fi when they're in range. Legere made no secret that T-Mobile's announcement is connected to Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, revealed the day before. Both devices support Wi-Fi calling, and T-Mobile is the only US carrier in to offer it to the new iPhones. The Un-carrier movement marches on While it's seemed quiet on the T-Mobile front for some months now, Legere said the company has made seven Un-carrier moves in 18 months. Today's announcement is just the latest, but it won't be the last; Legere confirmed yet another Un-carrier announcement is on the way. The company's mission to shake up the mobile industry, offering everything from no annual contracts to paying customers' early termination fees if they switch from competitors, has certainly rattled T-Mobile's competitors, and it's working wonders for T-Mobile itself. Legere said T-mobile added more customers and more gross additions (2.75 million) than ever in its history during the month of August alone. Oh, and let's not forget the Apple Watch Twitter to launch Flight, its new mobile dev conference, next month Sep 10th 2014, 20:00, by klee Twitter will be flapping into Flight, its second-ever mobile developer conference, on October 22. The social media company is welcoming developers from all over to the San Francisco event with the promise of helping them "build the best mobile apps." Not the smoothest move leading off with an egotistical mission statement like that. The day's activities will include a keynote by Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. As with most developer conferences, from Apple's WWDC to Facebook F8, we expect to see a smatering of new Twitter features emerge for users. However, much of the conference will include "technical sessions," where developers will have dense discussions about programming in Java, Objective-C and Swift. To prime the dev community for the October conference, Twitter has overhauled its developer site, making it easier for users to navigate and find answers. Twitter also noted there would be a lot more features coming to the developer site over the coming weeks. What the heck are you doing Twitter? In the last several months Twitter has been in a tumultuous period of change, changing the fundamental way its social network behaves. In May, Twitter introduced a feature for users to mute an obnoxious tweeter without unfollowing them. Then the company decided to mess with social feeds yet again in August by promoting popular tweets favorited in users' feeds, even if they don't follow the tweeter. And just last week, Twitter killed its third-party Twitpic image-hosting partner in favor of its own photo sharing service. It seems high time that Twitter should hold an event of some sort where it can discuss its future plans at length rather than rolling out experiments and tweaks, which taken as a whole, have been universally annoying. Twitter or Facebook they're practically the same as MySpace Microsoft looks to be finished calling things 'Nokia' and 'Windows Phone' Sep 10th 2014, 19:50, by Michael Rougeau Microsoft is having an identity crisis concerning Nokia and Windows Phone, according to an internal document leaked online. The document, an internal memo, was obtained by Geeks on Gadgets and verified by The Verge. It describes the ways Microsoft's branding and promotional language will change as the holiday season approaches, including dropping the words "Nokia" and "Windows Phone" from its products and promotions. Instead "Lumia" and simply "Windows" will be used, it seems. Inevitable Microsoft's been signaling these changes for some time. For example recent commercials and videos for the Lumia 930, Lumia 530, Lumia 730, and Lumia 830 fail to mention Windows Phone at all, and the official branding for the new HTC One M8 for Windows (minus the "phone") is a big clue as well. And given that Microsoft has acquired Nokia's phone business and wishes to make it its own, it's no surprise that it would drop the company's name from Lumia device branding. On the plus side this mean we can finally start using "Windows phone" as a noun instead of having to say "Windows Phone device." This all lends further evidence to the speculation that Windows RT and Windows Phone will eventually be rolled into one OS, which could happen in 2015. Microsoft may 'do a Mavericks' and make Windows 9 free CTIA 2014: SAP partners with Ericsson on mobile security apps Sep 10th 2014, 18:05, by Juan Martinez Updated: 21:42 EST SAP has partnered with Ericsson to produce an open mobility platform that is secure and device-friendly, said SAP CEO Bill McDermott at CTIA 2014 in Las Vegas. McDermott said it is crucial for enterprises to create business-friendly apps that simplify and enhance productivity. Scale and cooperation with operating systems are key for mobile applications. Businesses must make any device anywhere productive and secure. "SAP remains device agnostic," he said. "Because betting against consumer choice is a fool's bet." As part of the SAP partnership, SAP's Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) software will be hosted on the Ericsson Cloud in order to enable mobile operators to address enterprise mobile security. Ericsson will offer SAP Mobile Secure's cloud-based solutions to more than 400 mobile network operators. During his address, McDermott referenced Samsung as part of this partnership. However, an SAP spokesperson said McDermott was instead combining today's Ericsson announcement with an SAP and Samsung partnership made public earlier in the week. "During his keynote at CTIA, Bill McDermott discussed how SAP is co-innovating with our global partner community to grow our mutual businesses and meet the needs of our customers. Instead of separately mentioning two recent partner announcements, he combined them to highlight SAP's broad partner ecosystem," said Susan Miller, Head of Products and Innovation PR at SAP. The Samsung partnership McDermott was supposedly referencing refers to Samsung beginning to test and run SAP mobile apps on the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active tablet, Miller said. 10 CRM systems you need to know LG G Watch now $50 cheaper following Apple Watch reveal Sep 10th 2014, 17:46, by JR Bookwalter Apple's long rumored smartwatch may be months away from actully being strapped onto consumers' wrists, but Google is wasting no time discounting one of its Android-based wearables. The Google Play Store today kicked off "special fall savings" on the Android Wear-powered LG G Watch, which is now $50 cheaper than it was prior to the debut of the Apple Watch at a media event in Cupertino on Tuesday. Now priced at $179 in the same Black Titan or White Gold color schemes, the discounted price appears ill-timed in the wake of Apple showing its own smartwatch hand yesterday, although that wearable won't hit stores until early 2015 at a price tag of $349 and up. For owners of compatible Android handsets, that makes the G Watch a bargain by comparison (especially considering Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5 or later), but the deal expires on September 23, which is less than two weeks away. VZW or bust Although it's not quite such a bargain, Verizon Wireless has started accepting preorders for a competing Android Wear device, the Motorola Moto 360, priced at a discount-free $249.99 from the carrier's website. Available in black or gray, Verizon's Moto 360 isn't expected to ship until October 27, and that price only gets you a leather band, rather than Motorola's stainless steel band, which is sold separately as an accessory. Verizon Wireless is also taking part in the LG discounting fun by offering the G Watch for the same $179.99, a 22 percent discount; regardless of which smartwatch you decide to purchase, Verizon orders are shipped absolutely free. The first Android Wear devices have received mixed reviews thus far, with the Moto 360 largely faring better than competitors, so we wouldn't be surprised to see steeper discounts in the months ahead - especially in the months leading up to the actual release of Apple Watch. Dive into our hands-on review of the new Motorola Moto X (2014)! CTIA 2014: Qualcomm: 'Expect eight billion smartphones worldwide in five years' Sep 10th 2014, 17:27, by Juan Martinez Eight billion new smartphones will be sold in the next five years worldwide, said Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf at CTIA 2014 in Las Vegas. Despite an increase in smartphone production, Mollenkopf said developer attention is branching out beyond phones to wrists, cars, and healthcare data. However, he said the phone is still the central hub of what consumers use to interact with the outside world. "We always thought the phone was more important to take [out of the house] with you than your wallet," he said. "But in the future the phone will also be a hub for your medical data." Smartphones and wearables Qualcomm is focused on high and low-end smartphones, Mollenkopf said. However, worldwide he said low-end smartphones will be able to penetrate markets more easily. Qualcomm shipped 750 million units last year. The company is trying to bring smartphone technology into adjacent markets, such as automotives and wearables. Last year, Qualcomm launched the Toq, a 1.6-inch display smartwatch. "You're in a spot where there's a tremendous amount of experimentation [with wearables]," he said. "Everyone has this gut feel that there's something there. Everybody has interesting-looking products. We're believers in the wearable craze." However, Mollenkopf said Qualcomm is not in the smartwatch business. Battery life and broadband improvements Mollenkopf said battery life technology is improving, but not at the rate of other device technology. Instead, he said Qualcomm is focused on developing ways to charge devices as battery life technology improves. Qualcomm is working on broadband capacity issues. Mollenkopf said Qualcomm is spending a lot of time figuring out ways to improve spectrum. "Carrier aggregation has been launched worldwide," he said. "You tend to see high-end modem features coupled with high-end wifi features. The importance of offloading things the proper way is driving a lot of momentum and velocity on the features we're driving with the modem." What does TechRadar think of the Qualcomm Toq? iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus release date: where can I get them? Sep 10th 2014, 17:20, by klee Apple's finally done it and made bigger smartphone with NFC no less. The iPhone 6 is Apple's first ever 4.7-inch device playing catch up with Android devices. Apple's has even stepped into the phablets space by introducing the iPhone 6 Plus with its 5.5-inch screen. Of course screen size isn't the only thing Apple improved upon. The iPhone and iPhone 6 are some of thinnest devices yet measuring 6.9mm and 7.1mm thick, respectively. The Cupertino company also added significant improvements to the iSight camera (both front and back) with features such as burst selfies and phase detection autofocus. The iPhone 6 Plus' camera even has optical image stabilization built into the lens. Apple promised pre-orders for its latest handset would begin on September 12 and multiple carriers followed suit, announcing the same release date. Here's where, when and for how much you can get the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Sprint Sprint is so excited about the "best iPhone ever" it has announced a new "iPhone for Life" program. The deal lets users get their mitts on an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus for a monthly $20 rate. Customers enrolled in the iPhone for Life program will effectively pay out $480 over the course of two-years and hand the device back over when their contract terminates. As an extra perk enrollees can also get an exclusive $50 monthly plan for unlimited talk, text and data service – a discounted package saving users about $10 a month. The only draw back to it is if the phone breaks, you buy it – and well you'll also never own the device. Alternatively, for users who would rather keep their device can also agree to a Finance or two-year agreement Contract deal. Financing a 16GB iPhone 6 will let users pay for the device in $30 installments spread across 24 months. Meanwhile, signing up for a two-year agreement lets has customers pay $199.99 upfront for the whole device saving them from nagging monthly device fees. Verizon Big Red will also open up pre-orders on the latest iPhones this Friday at the stroke of Midnight. The telecom giant will have the 16GB iPhone 6 in all three colors for $199 with a two-year contract. Of course customers could also get the device though Verizon's Edge program and pay $32.49 per month for two years. The plus-sized 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus with 16GB of storage on board will ring up for $299.99 with a two-year contract. The Verizon Edge deal for Apple's phablet is $37.49 split across 24 months. Verizon is also offering users a way to get an iPhone 6 by trading in their older iOS 8 handset according to Bloomberg. By bringing in an older iPhone model users will get a $200 gift card in return that they can then use with the purchase of a $199.99 16GB iPhone 6. It's not clear whether the offer applies to the other more expensive iPhone 6 models but TechRadar has sent Verizon an inquiry on the subject. AT&T Not to be left out AT&T also announced it would have the iPhone 6 pre-orders starting September 12 as well. But unlike Sprint and Verizon, the blue carrier has yet to divulge pricing details. AT&T is sure to release more information as we approach Friday. In the meantime TechRadar has contacted AT&T and will update this post when we hear back. T-Mobile A little late to the ball, T-Mobile has yet to announce any details of how it will handle iPhone and iPhone 6 sales or even when pre-orders begin. Given the Uncarrier's track record of crazy shenanigans, T-Mo will probably have some enticing deals for the device along with the usual unsubsidized and installment pricing. Apple Of course users could always skip dealing with carriers all together and buy their device direct from Apple itself. On top of pre-orders starting this Friday, users can pick up the company's latest handsets in person at their local Apple Store starting on September 19 beginning at 8:00am (PST). At the Apple keynote yesterday, the Cupertino company noted the iPhone 6 would be available for $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB. The larger iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 for 16GB, $399 for 16GB and $499 for the largest 128GB edition. Retailers Even retailers are getting in on the deal and Target has announced it will take your older iPhone models in exchange for credit towards a new Apple smartphone. For an iPhone 5S users could get up to $200 or $100 for an iPhone 5C or iPhone 5. The trade-in program also takes older models for smaller returns as users will get up to $75 for the iPhone 4S and up to $50 for the iPhone 4. Meanwhile, Walmart is offering $300 for a 16GB iPhone 5 as well as $175 for a Samsung Galaxy S3 and $52 for the Samsung Galaxy S2. The Apple Watch is pretty nifty, but does it do too much?

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