Is it just me, or do everyone else think of the same thing – that video is the way forward when it comes to messaging one another? After all, we did hear that Skype Video Messaging has just launched across a variety of mobile platforms earlier this morning, and Instagram could very well introduce video support this coming June 20th, so here we are with even more good news – that all AT&T data plans will now be able to support Facetime as well as Google+ video chat, as and when required.

When we say “all”, we mean exactly that, and not just limited to those who happen to be on a capped mobile sharing plan. This is definitely a step in the right direction, as it helps AT&T fulfill their promise made last month that customers who happen to be on grandfathered unlimited Internet plans, too, will be able to make use of these new video call services. Initial whispers point to service accessibility from various parts of New York, Maryland, Georgia, Hawaii, and California, and we do know that the previously unsupported LTE and HSPA+ signal can be found in parts of North Carolina, Northern Virginia, and Florida.

You have got to admit it – with a company name like GEAK, it sure as heck resonates with the current generation who are always at the forefront of technology, especially when one prefers to be called a “geek” rather than a “nerd”. Having said that, GEAK might be throwing a lot of their resources on wearable technology such as the Ring and Watch, but that does not mean it should neglect a potentially lucrative smartphone market. In fact, the company intends to introduce a couple of offerings to the masses, where it would come in the form of the 5” Eye and the 5.8” Mars.

Regardless of whether you decide to jive with the Eye or the Mars, both models have been specially tailored to keep shutterbugs happy with its 13-megapixel backside-illuminated rear camera. In front, the GEAK Eye comes out as the better of the two with an 8-megapixel camera, while the Mars is a 2-megapixel shooter. Performance and screen size seem to be the only differentiating factor, as the Eye would help keep things close to the ground with a 720p IPS display, a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor, HSPA+ data, 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. If you prefer to settle for the larger sized Mars instead, you will end up with a Full HD IPS LCD display, a Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB RAM.

Recent news concerning the US government prying into personal records with the help of technology companies – it does not matter if you are an Apple fanboy or a diehard Google supporter, they are all apparently in cahoots with the US government. Yahoo is not spared the blushes, either, and Marissa Mayer, CEO and Ron Bell, General Counsel, of Yahoo, have stepped forward with a statement that will hopefully appease one’s anger to a certain degree somewhat.

“We’ve worked hard over the years to earn our users’ trust and we fight hard to preserve it. To that end, we are disclosing the total number of requests for user data that law enforcement agencies in the U.S. made to us between December 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013. During that time period, we received between 12,000 and 13,000 requests, inclusive of criminal, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and other requests. The most common of these requests concerned fraud, homicides, kidnappings, and other criminal investigations.”

Yahoo claims that they are doing their level best to ask the federal government to reconsider their stance on the privacy issue, and Yahoo intends to shore up their accountability among users by rolling out their first global law enforcement transparency report later this year. This particular report will be refreshed twice a year.

In the past few years, the world of American football has come under a microscope because of the apparent increase in head concussion-related injuries. In fact, this is one issue that has split opinions on the sport right down the middle for some, so much so that a bunch of NFL (National Football League) players even took the unprecedented step of suing the league earlier this year in April, and of course some good did come out from the heightened awareness as new rules have been drawn up and instituted in order to provide additional protection for the players. Both MC10 and Reebok have come up with a particular device known as the CheckLight, which so happens to be a sensor skullcap which can be worn under a helmet. The CheckLight is capable of measuring an impact on the wearer’s head, where side-mounted LED lights will flash in either yellow or red to inform those around of the impact’s severity in real-time, now how about that?

I guess the CheckLight is no substitute for a trained medical professional, but at least it helps get the job done as a starting point. The CheckLight’s indicator lights will hang from the back of the neck, allowing a teammate or buddy to notify the wearer should the red light indicator start flashing. Nice to see Reebok avoid potential lawsuits with a disclaimer that the CheckLight is not a certified concussion diagnostic tool. Expect the CheckLight to retail for $150 a pop as it hits retail stores later this month.

So, we have heard word that Samsung could very well introduce a speedier version of their Galaxy S4 smartphone later this month (in essence, it would be able to support LTE Advanced, or LTE-A for short), but before that happens, how about hearing that there is a spanking new version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 that is making its way towards Verizon Wireless? This is not some sort of information which was pulled out from thin air, but rather, courtesy of a recently revealed Bluetooth SIG filing, where the device carries the model number Samsung SCH-I545L, where the “L” would be the only difference between the new model number and the model number of the existing Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4, which stands at SGH-I545.

I guess the folks over at Samsung want the Galaxy S4 to achieve a whole lot more than what it can at the moment, and we have literally seen the fruit of their reward in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom.

If you happen to own the Sony Xperia S, you would know by now that the smartphone is still far from being obsolete, as there is still some life left in its legs. The thing is, we did bring you word earlier this month that the Sony Xperia S has gotten a new Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware update, and here we are today with additional information on what’s to come as well. Sony Mobile could very well roll out a new firmware update for the Sony Xperia S (aka model LT26i), and this bit of speculation came about after making a deduction on the comments over at their support forums.

Sony Mobile’s representative did coyly suggest that a new update could very well arrive during week 28 (if you were to whip out one of the fancier electronic calendars out there, week 28 would be the week where 8 July kicks off). This alleged new firmware update will not deliver changes under the hood where you are unable to see anything else on the outside, but rather, it is said to be a whole lot more tangible to the end user since it would have fixed a bug which folks are having with NFC connectivity, especially when it comes to beaming content to other devices.

It remains to be seen whether this will be a totally new update after version 6.2.B.0.211, where that particular version happened to have landed in certain regions only. On the other hand, we are not ruling out the possibility that this could very well be a wider launch for the ’211′ firmware, so stay tuned as we are sure additional information will be revealed in due time.

Earlier this month, we brought you word that Nintendo, the gaming company that has brought us countless hits over the past few years, hitting a high with their previous console, the Nintendo Wii, is not doing too well with the recent Nintendo Wii U release, and hence, the Japanese company could very well announce a price cut for the Wii U at the recently concluded E3. Touted to be a next generation video game console, it does not live up to such a reputation if you were to judge it based on its hardware performance alone. Sure, some of the innovations introduced include the Wiipad that brings gaming to a different level, but not necessarily the next one. Having said that, companies tend to introduce price cuts when it comes to stimulating sales figures of their hardware, but it seems that Nintendo is not going to take that route this time around with the Wii U.

E3 2013 came and went, and there was no price cut announced at all, bummer. Nintendo marketing executive Scott Moffit did mention that Nintendo has “no plans to change the price of Wii U,” and it remains to be seen whether the Wii U’s sales figures would increase when their Mario, Zelda and Super Smash Bros. franchises are rolled out in the months ahead. Why do you think that the Nintendo Wii U has been performing rather dismally in sales so far?

Apple is a company that has applied for its fair share of patents, where among the more recent ones which we have seen this year include a possible laser keyboard for iPads down the road, or how about a flexible display just in case its bitter rival, Samsung, rolls out something like that in a smartphone beforehand? Having said that, it would be more common to hear of Apple suing other companies for allegedly infringing on their patents, but this time around, it seems that the tables have turned. The USPTO did receive a pair of re-examination requests for a couple of Apple patents from an anonymous party, where these patents would include visual voicemail as well as autocorrect capability.

Both patents are tipped to come under the spotlight, as Apple and Samsung continue their seemingly endless legal patent battle which kicked off last year, where the trial for that is set to start sometime in Q1 2014. Could Samsung have been the party to have submitted the request for a re-examination? After all, the autocorrect feature was used by Apple when it asked for a preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset. I guess additional details will be revealed in due time.

I am quite sure that Sprint is a household name for many of our readers, especially those who reside in the US, and one must take note that Sprint happens to be the majority owner of network wholesaler Clearwire. Having said that, Sprint recently filed a suit in the Delaware Court of Chancery against Dish Network and Clearwire, with the request to prevent Dish from acquiring Clearwire. Dish claimed earlier this morning that the Hart-Scott-Rodino act waiting period has already expired on June 14th, without any request for additional information from the government.

Clearwire’s board did share their recommendation to stockholders sometime last week, asking them to accept the $4.40 a share tender offer from Dish Network for Clearwire’s shares, which is a dollar more than Sprint’s $3.40 a share offer. Right now, Sprint happens to own 51% of Clearwire’s stock, but despite that seemingly unassailable position, they would still require a majority of the minority holders to vote in favor of this deal – and frankly, such a deal does not look as though it is going to happen anytime soon. We are interested to see how this particular saga would work out eventually.

DisplaySearch, a research firm, notes that consumers are now showing an increased interest in smaller tablets like the iPad mini and Nexus 7, as opposed to conventional 10 inch tablets. At first the tablet market was defined by Apple’s original iPad, which came with a 9.7 inch display. Apple’s dominance in the market continued for quite a while before Amazon and Google came out with their own alternatives, which were aggressively priced and had smaller screens. Many thought that consumers won’t tilt towards tablets with relatively less screen real estate, but as it turns out, the aggressive pricing brought in scores of new consumers, and then some.

The firm reports that out of 27 million tablet panel shipments in March, almost 48% were 7 inch tablet panels. One factor of this growth is increased interest of consumers in emerging markets, where a lot of manufacturers are selling tablets for under $100. This trend will reportedly continue, and manufacturers seem to have taken note of it as well. A couple of them are reportedly readying tablets that will retail in all markets for as low as $99, they’ll be touting 7 inch screens. Apple too is expected to release a cheaper iPad mini to capture this particular market.