Verizon's double data deal returns this Friday, prepare yourselves accordingly

It looks like Verizon's about to double up on double data. According to the Los Angeles Times, Big Red is about to reintroduce the double data promotion that first rolled out in November, and came to a close at year's end. Under the offer, customers signing up for a 4G plan will receive double the amount of monthly data (at no extra charge) for the duration of their contracts, as long as they sign up for two-year deals. Unfortunately, though, the promotion only applies to first time 4G subscribers (or those looking to upgrade from a non-4G plan), and is restricted to smartphones, leaving tablet owners in the dark. As with its original campaign, the redux will only be available for a limited time, though Verizon has yet to announce a closing date. It all kicks off this Friday, when, not coincidentally, the carrier will officially welcome the Droid 4 to the fold, as well.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Microsoft celebrating leap year right by launching Windows 8 Consumer Preview at MW

Perhaps celebrating a push toward the mobile space with its traditionally desktop-bound OS -- or maybe just doing its best to further confuse the similar naming conventions with its forthcoming smartphone operating system -- Microsoft today sent out invites for a February 29th Mobile World Congress event that will see the launch of its Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Details are scarce about the two-hour event, but you'd better believe that we'll be there in Barcelona with bells on.

White HTC Sensation XE revealed, due Feb. 20 in the UK

Last week we saw that HTC's planning to launch a white HTC Sensation in parts of Europe from the beginning of next month, and now it seems its big brother, the Sensation XE, will also be getting a fresh coat of paint.

UK retailer Clove Technology sends word that it'll be stocking a white version of the Sensation XE from Feb. 20, with SIM-free prices coming in at £408 (~$640). The Sensation XE, which first launched towards the end of 2011, is a refresh of the original Sensation. It's got a faster 1.5GHz dual-core CPU (up from 1.2 in the original), a larger battery and Beats Audio support, complete with bundled earphones. While the dimensions are the same, the XE comes with red accents and Beats branding, which we have to admit looks a lot better on the white version than it did on the original grey model.

With HTC expected to launch a range of new handsets just a week later, we're not sure whether too many people will be lining up to part with £400 for Sensation XE. But if you do, you'll be getting a pretty powerful dual-core phone, with an ICS update on the way in the months ahead.

Source: Clove Technology

New browser (Chrome) doesn't support dying plug-in (Flash)

Everybody's all in a tizzy over the new Chrome for Android browser -- and rightfully so. It's likely the future of default browsing on Android going forward. But, guess what: It doesn't support Adobe Flash Player.

And that should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Adobe in November announced that Flash Player would be taken off life support, insofar as mobile browsing is concerned, and that the company would focus on AIR instead for cross-platform applications. And, so, Adobe Flash Player isn't supported in the new Chrome mobile browser. And that's a good thing. It's time we all -- from end-users to developers to OS-makers -- start weening ourselves off Flash for browsing

And Adobe said exactly as much in a blog post today.

Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content. Flash Player continues to be supported within the current Android browser.

Makes perfect sense, folks. If your favorite website's not yet moving toward HTML5, it's time to warm up your e-mail-writing fingers.

Source: Adobe

Motorola teases Mar. 7 MOTOACTV update

Motorola is preparing to roll out a new software update for the MOTOACTV, it's Android-based fitness tracker. The new firmware, which Moto says will land "around the world" from Mar. 7, will enable owners to track new types of activity including yoga, Pilates, dancing and martial arts.

The manufacturer's also promising the ability to activate the MOTOACTV with a flick of the wrist, and set up Wifi connectivity directly on the device. The most interesting new feature, however, is the competitions feature in the MOTOACTV Training Portal, which will allow you to (virtually) square off against MOTOACTV-owning friends at various activities.

Motorola says it'll unveil more features of this new software update as the release date approaches.

Source: Motorola

T-Mobile celebrates Valentine's Day with free 4G devices

T-Mobile announced today that it will be celebrating Valentine's Day with a blow-out sale on all of its 4G smartphones. On Saturday, February 11, a respectable lot of devices will be free after mail-in rebate both in stores and online. Below is the list in its entirety, which includes some heavyweights such as the Galaxy S II, the Amaze 4G, and T-Mobile's Springboard tablet:

HTC Amaze 4GHTC Sensation 4GHTC Wildfire SLG DoubleplayLG Optimus TSamsung Exhibit II 4GSamsung Galaxy S IISamsung Gravity SmartT-Mobile G2xT-Mobile myTouchT-Mobile myTouch 4G SlideT-Mobile myTouch QT-Mobile Sidekick 4GT-Mobile Springboard

If you've got a sweetie that's still carrying around a G1, now might be the time to show him or her how much you love them. Hit the source link for the sale page, and remember, phones are the new box of chocolates.

Source: T-Mobile

BaconReader gets major update, adds Android Beam support, scrollable widget and more

If you frequent Reddit, you may be aware of BaconReader, a highly polished and fully-featured Reddit client for Android that launched late last year. Today sees developer OneLouder release a substantial update for the app, bringing some major improvements across the board.

BaconReader 1.25 introduces performance improvements, including hardware acceleration for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Honeycomb and ICS users will also get access to a scrollable homescreen widget, and the existing 4x1 static widget has been redesigned to better fit with the Android 4.0 design language. And Android Beam support has been added, allowing you to share Reddit posts over NFC the same way you can with videos, web pages and other content on certain devices.

It's great to see BaconReader going from strength to strength with each update, and we're sure all you Redditors on ICS devices will appreciate this latest update. If you've yet to give the app a try, we've got Android Market links to the free version after the break.