ChevronWP7 officially closes up shop for good, hands out App Hub memberships

We were a tad disappointed when ChevronWP7 stopped handing out unlock token for Windows Phones in early January, only two months after launching. But, we held out hope that one day the shop might reopen its doors and once again offer a cheap option to those of us that wish to free our WP7 devices from Microsoft's shackles. Sadly, that dream is officially dead, as ChevronWP7 has been shuttered for good. On the plus side, current customers will be rewarded with a one year membership to Microsoft's App Hub - currently the only legit way to unlock your Windows Phone. So, we're sad to see ChevronWP7 go but, if you were lucky enough to score a token before the 10,000 available sold out, you got a pretty sweet deal in paying $9 for a $99 App Hub membership. Hit up the source link for full details.[Thanks, Joe]

Verizon expands 4G LTE coverage in the West

Verizon is bent on blanketing the entire US in a warm and cozy quilt of 4G, announcing a series of expansions that will bring LTE coverage to new markets in California and Nevada. Markets with expanded coverage include Stockton, Fresno, Monterey, and the San Francisco Bay area. The sole city outside of the Golden State to benefit from the latest network additions is Reno. Verizon has been ramping up its 4G rollouts as competition heats up with the other major carriers. AT&T has already introduced its new LTE network, while Sprint is set to launch their own network utilizing the technology in the coming months.

Plume for Android Update Adds ICS Elements

Plume (formerly Touiteur) for Android has received an update that should please owners of Ice Cream Sandwich devices. It brings the “swipe” philosophy Google introduced with this version of Android as well as the in-line context menu button that replaces the menu button. It pretty much looks like it was designed with Ice Cream Sandwich in mind as you can see in the screenshots above. The tablet version of this app has always been available and designed for Honeycomb, but they've made a couple of minor changes to make it more like a native Ice Cream Sandwich app. Other changes include TMI.me support for extending long tweets, MyPict.me support for photo uploads, the ability to resize pictures depending on network speed and some bug fixes. Find the client in the Google Play Store here.

UC Browser 8.2 for Android takes a crack at the US market

We know that Facebook is still trying to get into China's pants, and that is a story for a different day, but here we have China's most popular mobile browser, UC Browser 8.2 for Android, and it will finally make an attempt to break into the US market. Already boasting 200 million users in China and another 300 million users around the globe, it would be interesting to see whether UC Browser is able to make an impact Stateside, considering folks at this moment rely heavily on Opera Mobile and the stock Android Web browser. We will look at some of the features that intend to help UC Browser stand out from the rest of the competition in the extended post. First of all, UC Browser 8.2 for Android will come with multi-touch and voice control function, where the former allows you to open, close, switch pages, return to the previous page, and move to the next page, using gestures only without having to access any pesky menu options or buttons. With the inclusion of voice control, you can now surf the Internet on your Android-powered device without the use of your fingers, how neat is that? The entire UC Browser 8.2 for Android weighs in at 5.2MB if you are interested.

Safely Phone Controls on Android announced

Safely has just announced their latest app, the Safely Phone Controls that will target the Android platform. This is a digital parenting service that is being distributed in partnership with Sprint, where you can get it from the Google Play store after looking for "Sprint Mobile Controls." Safely user data showed that 63% of teens text in class, while 65% send texts late into the night. With Safely Phone Controls, parents are able to get a better handle on their teens' texting activities, not to mention playing the role of a responsible parent by regulating their use. For instance, school time is meant for studying, so parents can block the ability to text or play games during school, and can also receive alerts whenever an unknown person contacts their child. According to Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Location Labs, "Three out of four teenagers have a cell phone, and with over 20 free smartphones now offered by US carriers, more teens are using these powerful devices. Parents give kids phones to keep them safe and connected, but worry that constant access will interfere with school or sleep. Safely Phone Controls gives parents an easy way to manage these concerns." Do you think that such regulation from parents are justified?

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai to reveal new strategy on April 12th

If you want to pick up some tips before appearing on The Apprentice, or perhaps you're just want to know how Sony plans to wriggle back from a predicted $2.7 billion loss this fiscal year (its fourth concurrent in the red) then cancel all your plans for April 12th. Sony Corp will be holding a briefing on that date to share its strategy plan with the shareholders, and the world. In attendance, of course, will be the newly minted CEO Kazuo Hirai, who'll no doubt be taking the opportunity to assert his position for the first time. Details of the call are in the source, just resist the temptation to scream "You're Fired."

AT&T 4G LTE Coming to Bloomington, IN and Bryan-College Station, Texas April 8th

HTC has followed up on their promises of bringing 4G LTE to Bloomington, IN and Bryan-College Station in Texas and have set a launch date of April 8th. AT&T's been at work building a nice library of LTE devices and more will continue to soar in at alarming rates. If you live in these areas and are waiting on upgrading or have already upgraded to an LTE phone circle the date on your calendar – it'll be like waking up on Christmas morning. [AT&T 1, 2]

Google acquires TxVia in an effort to expand Google Wallet

It looks like Google is seriously attempting to expand the capabilities of its Google Wallet mobile payment service as the company has recently announced that they have bought payments company, TxVia. While the financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, according to Osama Bedier, vice president of Wallet and Payments and Google believes that TxVia complements Google Wallet's payment capabilities and will help the company achieve their "full Google Wallet Vision". We know that Google is looking to expand the reach of Google Wallet as there have been talks in the past that Google might be looking at partnering up with other carriers. The service originally launched with Sprint as its sole partner and with the Nexus S being the only device that came with support for Google's mobile payment services. While the exact details of the deal were not revealed, given TxVia's management of more than 100 million accounts, it is likely that this deal will give Google access to its customers and major payment networks.

Instagram for Android Now Available!

The wait is over – Instagram, the popular photo sharing application which gained prominence on iOS – is now available for Android. Complete with a beautiful user interface and a full feature-set, it seems to have been worth the nail biting. Features : ☆ 100% free custom designed filters and borders ☆ Lux works its magic by making your photos more vibrant and brings out details in your photos you couldn’t see before ☆ Instant sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare (Flickr coming very soon) ☆ Interact with friends through giving & receiving likes and comments ☆ Works with Android versions 2.2 and above that support OpenGL ES 2 ☆ Full front & back camera support ☆ And much much more… Some people are scratching their heads wondering “what’s the point of this app?” But I think it’s best to just download it and see for yourself. It made a lot of sense on iOS considering the OS’s sharing system is gimped compared to Android’s, but Instagram’s collection of filters and their beautiful photo stream, not to mention automatic uploading to tons of social networks, should be worth the download. Get the free app, which has sustained a full five star rating in the market after 175 reviews, in the Google Play Store.

PayPal Here Launches in Canada, Google Earth for Android and iOS Reaches Version 6.2 & Sparrow Launches Email Client for iOS With Gorgeous UI

PayPal Here Launches in Canada, Brings Mobile Payments to the Forefront For the last couple years we've been saying that what's really missing in Canada is something like the Square payment system. This product was created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and has experienced massive success in the United States. Square is a dongle that merchants can attach to their smartphone and start immediately accepting customer payments. There has been a couple Canadian companies offer a similar service, not as cool, such as Payfirma and Moneris'"PAYD". MobileSyrup Hey HTC Vivid Owners, Go Download Your Ice Cream Sandwich Update Despite launching last October, the Ice Cream Sandwich club is still a pretty exclusive one, and even moreso in the United States. Let's see, there's the Galaxy Nexus... and, yeah, that's really it. Surprisingly though, while HTC mentioned earlier this week that the Vivid would be among the devices to get the Ice Cream Sandwich update, the new software is already available to anyone who knows how to push the right buttons. Literally. TechCrunch Sparrow Launches Email Client for iOS With Gorgeous UI, No Push Notifications Sparrow's desktop email client for OS X includes a great UI and a number of great features such as multiple accounts, a unified inbox and a user-friendly layout. The company on Thursday brought those same attributes to Apple's iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with the release of its much anticipated iOS app. Much like the desktop version, Sparrow's mobile app features a simple, Facebook-like design that is light, responsive and easy on the eyes. BGR Google Earth for Android and iOS Reaches Version 6.2, Supports Custom KML Overlays and More Good news for fans of the iOS and Android ports of Google Earth: the apps are getting updated to version 6.2, which brings more customizable experience with it. Just like the browser and desktop variants, Keyhole Markup Language files are now accessible, meaning you'll be able to open up information overlays you find on websites, or from the app itself now that Google Earth Gallery's been added. Engadget