T-Mobile USA has started accepting online pre-orders for the iPhone 5

While the device will actually become available in T-Mobile stores on April 12, customers can now pre-order a black or white 16GB variant for a $99.99 down payment and $20 for each month, for 24 months.

The 32GB models (black or white) go for a $199.99 down payment under the same terms, and the 64GB variant (also available in black or white) will set you back $299.99, plus the usual 24 monthly payments of $20.

In an important change of strategy, T-Mobile recently completely abandoned contracts, the first major U.S. mobile carrier to do so. Now that it also carries the iPhone 5, it'll be interesting to see how much the idea of a brand-new, contract-free iPhone appeals to customers Read more...

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Samsung has announced its earnings estimate for Q1 2013, and the numbers are looking really good, mostly due to good smartphone sales

The company estimates 52 trillion won ($46 billion) in sales and an operating profit of 8.7 trillion won ($7.7 billion) for the quarter, besting Q1 2012 by 53%

Samsung's Q4 2012 was even better, with the company posting an operating profit of 8.84 trillion won ($7.8 billion). That quarter, however, included the traditionally good holiday sales and the full effect of the Galaxy S III, which arrived in the U.S. in July 2012

Five analysts' data, compiled by Reuters, pegs Samsung's total smartphone sales in Q1 2013 at 68-70 million units Read more...

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When your phone dies, it's like a part of yourself has croaked, too. Suddenly you're a bit naked, helpless and disconnected from the world. And yet we let it happen, time after time

So what's killing your phone? Endless Google searches? Constant texting?

Misinformation, not misuse, might be contributing to your phone's daily death. Luckily, you can extend that battery life by switching a few simple settings and using less energy

The gentle geniuses at Hack College are here to save your life (and your phone). They have five tricks you can use to get more time with the gadget you love most. Check out the video above to see what they recommend. Read more...

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Think Apple’s iPad and iPad mini are the only go-to tablets for educators? Well, think again, because here are five iPad alternatives that offer great specs, pricing and school-friendly features.

1. Amplify Tablet

The recent decision to split News Corp. introduced a new division tasked with providing digital learning materials to the education market. That division, named Amplify, has since sprung into life with the 10-inch Android tablet designed specifically for K-12 education.

Manufactured by Asus, the tablet offers a quad-core Tegra 3 system-on-chip and the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, while battery life is quoted at 8.5 hours. While that in itself isn’t revolutionary, the Amplify tablet impresses with its array of education-friendly features. Read more...

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OK, Game of Thrones nerds, we know: there is no official population number for Westeros. The books, which thoroughly inhabit their medieval world, tell us that no census has been taken, though you can sort of figure it out from the sizes of cities. "The population of Westeros extends into many millions:" that's the best estimate over at the Game of Thrones wiki.

Well, the size of its fan base on social media has now also been estimated in the millions — only it's a little more census-like. There are 5,493,248 of you nerds, according to Facebook likes and Twitter followings gathered by analytics firm SocialBakers Read more...

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If you've missed playing Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, take a page out of Michael Birken's book and create an old school arcade right in your office

And you won't even need a Nintendo 64 — just hit up your local office supply store for a couple thousand Post-it notes

Birken spent 11 months recreating actual footage from his favorite video games using those colorful and handy note takers. He printed out scenes, frame-by-frame, and transferred them to his office walls with 4,800 Post-its

The result is a vintage, mind-blowing, stop-motion shrine to some of the most beloved characters in 8-bit Read more...

More about Video Games, Pac Man, Stop Motion, 90s, and Nostalgia

When you think about prisoners whiling away their time behind bars, it's common to imagine inmates out in "the yard" lifting weights, playing ball or smuggling contraband. But in the age of social media, one notable inmate is using Twitter to document his incarceration and plead for his rights.

Hacker and legendary Internet troll Andrew Auernheimer, also known as "Weev," has revived his Twitter feed this week, posting from inside the walls of the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is currently serving out a 41-month-sentence for exposing a major security hole at AT&T and publicly shaming the company. Read more...

More about Twitter, Hacker, Prison, Us World, and Us

If you've been holding your breath for a sunny movie about comic book best friends "Calvin and Hobbes," you can keep waiting

There is nothing cheerful about this trailer by Gritty Reboots. Granted, it isn't for an actual movie, so we'll accept this dark and twisted version

The "movie" has a somewhat Inception-inspired plot, in which Hobbes is simply a figment of Calvin's imagination and eventually gets sucked into Calvin's subconscious. Calvin then must venture into his imagination to get him back

Calvin is also sporting some pretty awesome magical powers here, but his adult self is much more emotional than we all remember Read more...

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Mashable's Events Board is a great place to find the leading conferences in your industry — whether that's advertising, technology, media or public relations. This week, we're highlighting five events that we think can help move your career forward. Our picks include events in New York, San Francisco and Atlanta. If you don't find something that's a fit for you, you can check out more than 50 events on our complete listings.

On the Events Board, you can sort listings by when they were added, get discount codes for Mashable readers and sometimes watch a video of a past event to get a preview of what to expect. You can also subscribe to the events newsletter or follow our events account on Twitter so you'll catch the best events before they sell out. Read more...

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The Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., opened a new pain care complex on April 3, aiming to eliminate pain in young patients by using video games

Utilizing specially designed games combined with Microsoft's Kinect technology, participants can improve their health without realizing they're receiving treatment. The gamification places kids in an intergalactic world where they can paint, play and exercise, all while doctors analyze their range of motion

The program changes the way medical professionals address pain medicine, says Dr. Sarah Rebstock, clinical director and a leader in the initiative. It's often difficult to understand pain, particularly in children, due to its subjective nature. Usually, doctors only have measurements on a scale of one to ten to use as reference, and patients are released with improved conditions but still suffer from discomfort Read more...

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Simmer down, man! Danielius Nomanovas just took sports tantrums to a new level of savagery. Nomanovas is a teenage hockey player, playing with the Lithuanian junior national team at the under-18 world championships in Estonia

In the closing seconds of Lithuania's group play loss to Great Britain on Wednesday, Nomonavas completely. Loses. His. Mind. Watch as he hurls his stick directly at a referee from close range, making violent contact. The ref, thankfully, does not appear seriously injured

Read more...

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In 1966, James Brown sang, "This is a man's world, but it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, without a woman or a girl." And with that song, James might as well have been predicting the entire plot of Game of Thrones

Looks like, even back then, Brown knew that in Westeros the boys all walk around with swagger and swords, but it's the females who lead the show. After all, Arya Stark is the best swordsman (ahem, swordsperson) we've seen, no one can down a drink better than Cersei Lannister, and has anyone seen a dude eat a horse's heart? No, that's all left up to the Mother (not Father) of Dragons. Read more...

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Women's basketball phenom Brittney Griner's college career is over, but the WNBA may not be a big enough challenge to take on next.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban caused a splash earlier this week by saying he'd consider taking Griner in the NBA Draft this June. Then, in a pair of Twitter posts over the past couple days, Griner responded that she's up for the challenge

"If she is the best on the board, I will take her," Cuban said on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com

In response, Griner posted this tweet:

Mark Cuban may draft Brittney Griner m.espn.go.com/general/story?… ...I would hold my own! Lets do it

— Brittney Griner (@Brittney4Griner) April 3, 2013 Read more...

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During SXSW last month, Google held a session entitled “Building New Experiences With Glass,” where it offered developers information about Glass’ Mirror API, and demonstrated some of the apps that are already in development for Glass, such as Gmail, Path, and Evernote.

On Thursday, Google posted a video from that event on YouTube in full, giving everyone the opportunity to learn a little more about Glass and, more importantly, allowing developers to discover what will go into coding for the high-tech spectacles.

Led by Google’s Senior Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan, the hour-long discussion explains not only the code involved in creating apps for Glass, but also what Google is looking for in Glass apps. Read more...

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The George Eastman House is the first museum of photography to join the Google Art Project, a digital collection for works of art.

Without leaving your couch, you can visit Google's Art Project online and see more than 40,000 works of art from across the world. Now, the George Eastman House, which is the oldest museum of photography and photo technique, has added 50 images to the project, as explained in the video above.

These initial images from the George Eastman House will show photographic techniques spanning from the 1840s to the late-1900s. The museum is physically based in Rochester, N.Y., around the house and gardens of George Eastman, who founded the Eastman Kodak Company in the late 1800s. Read more...

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Trending topics hit Twitter every day. In this recurring series, "Behind the Hashtag," we take a look at the most intriguing ones — of any nature — being tweeted across the web

One of today's most popular hashtags, #BestLieEver, is all about stretching the truth to friends, family and, yes, even yourself.

It started early Thursday by Jai Brooks, one of five members of Melbourne, Australia-based YouTube comedy group The Janoskians. The original message, below, was retweeted more than 5,500 times

#BestLieEver of course i read the terms and conditions!

— Jai J.D Brooks ⚓ (@JaiBrooks1) April 4, 2013 Read more...

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Yes, we know you love Star Wars. But do you really love Star Wars? This video will put your passion — as well as attention span and migraine susceptibility — to the ultimate test

Uploaded to YouTube last week by Michael McNulty, the incredible two-plus-hour video plays all six films in one grid at the same damn time. It's quite the overwhelming eyeful — and, with psychedelically intermingling audio tracks, an earful as well.

Check it out for yourself above, then let us know how long you lasted in the comments

Read more...

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If you missed the search revolution the first time around, you may have a second chance with Facebook Graph Search.

Emphasis on "may." The tool, which Facebook rolled out in January, is still so new that company execs tend to reflexively answer queries about it by saying, "It's too soon to tell." That's true, though. At this point, the vast majority of Facebook users don't have Graph Search. That's not just because it's being rolled out in stages but also because it's only available in English, alienating huge swaths of Facebook users. Facebook's Graph-like Nearby mobile app (now known as "Local Search") has been out for longer, but hasn't attracted a big audience. Read more...

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You're never too old for Twitter. Britain's oldest gardener, 104-year-old Ralph Hoare, is using his green thumbs for more than pruning by answering horticultural questions on the social network

Furniture Village, a UK retailer, identified Hoare as the country's oldest active gardener to coincide with the launch of a new collection of garden equipment. His gardening answers will be posted on the company's Twitter account, @OfficialFV

Hoare has been gardening since 1914 and says he considers the hobby the key to his long life. Roses are his favorite, with more than two hundred bushes in his yard Read more...

More about Twitter, Social Media, Home, Garden, and Gardening

Whatever you may think about Facebook Home, you can't question its intent — to put Facebook at the core of your mobile experience, not just another app. Everything about Home and the new HTC First is about making Facebook even more dominant than it already is on people's phones.

That idea might by appealing if you either: A). Have a digital life that is completely dominated by Facebook. Or B). Don't yet have a smartphone and have no sense of the value that goes hand in hand with having a variety of apps.

People who fit into those two categories exist, but the thing is, they're typically not Americans. That's why I find it perplexing that Facebook is choosing to limit Facebook Home to the U.S. at launch "in the spirit of a slow rollout." Read more...

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Microsoft's Kinect isn't just for gaming. Researchers have used the system to measure breathing. Fashion designers let you virtually try on outfits. And now a new interface can turn your La-Z-Boy into a therapist's couch

SimSensei, an online interface that uses Kinect sensors, identifies characteristic movements, facial expressions and speech patterns that indicate depression. Check out the video, above, for more

Researchers at the University of Southern California created an animated avatar to engage in face-to-face interaction with the participant. The virtual guide asks leading questions, responding with gestures and comments, which allows the software to analyze body language linked to anxiety, nervousness and happiness, among others Read more...

More about Video, Healthcare, Xbox, Kinect, and Lifestyle

Facebook announced Thursday its big mobile plans for Android: Facebook Home. Although it will initially be available only on a few models, Facebook Home represents how Facebook wants to exist on Android phones.

If you're confused by Facebook Home or just want to get a better understanding of everything the new interface entails, we've got you covered.

What Is It?

At the Facebook Home event, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg consistently referred to Home as "putting people first instead of apps."

To that end, Facebook Home isn't a new OS and it isn't a fork of Android, instead it is a new home screen and app launcher interface for Android that gives your Facebook notifications, news feed posts and messages more integration with the overall phone experience. Read more...

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A month after Google became the first company to release data on the secretive government requests known as National Security Letters, the search giant is again setting a precedent as the first major tech company to openly challenge one in court.

Awareness of the challenge, reported by Bloomberg on Thursday, was the result of the mysterious nature of the NSL itself.

NSLs typically consist of two parts - a request for certain information and a gag order that prevents the recipient from talking about the existence of the letter itself. While challenging either part of an NSL, the recipient is still required to obey the gag order, and thus must petition the court to seal the records related to the challenge. Such a petition is essentially a tacit acknowledgement of the existence of the NSL. Read more...

More about Google, Us, Privacy, and Us World

Patience and meticulous science were cause for celebration when an international team of scientists announced new results pointing to the possible detection of dark matter Wednesday.

Although the James E. Webb Auditorium was nearly empty here at NASA Headquarters, it did not stop space agency officials and scientists from enthusiastically unveiling new findings in a news conference April 3.

A somewhat anxious, yet excited tone took over the room as people trickled in right before the briefing began.

"Congratulations," one NASA colleague said to Michael Salamon, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science program manager for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). Read more...

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The Internet's favorite sourpuss turns 1 on Thursday, and we bet she is extra miserable on this merry occasion.

Worst year ever..#grumpycat twitter.com/RealGrumpyCat/…

— Grumpy Cat (@RealGrumpyCat) April 4, 2013

So how do you celebrate the birthday of a cat that hates everything? Misery loves company, of course. Besides, everyone knows birthdays are actually the worst, unless you're 7 and theme parties — no, your toga party doesn't count — are still considered cool.

SEE ALSO: Exclusive: Grumpy Cat Does 'Harlem Shake'

There is so much hype that comes with birthdays, and it usually fails to meet expectations. So, here are 10 reasons why birthdays are simply terrible — which may just turn Grumpy Cat's permanent frown upside down Read more...

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In some parts of the northern hemisphere, we're still waiting for warm weather. So we've taken it upon ourselves to speed up the process. We found 10 flowery typography designs that'll spring you out of those winter doldrums

Ready for warmer weather? Share your own spring finds and creations in the comments below

Homepage image courtesy of Keziah Chong Read more...

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In case this Facebook thing doesn't work out, Mark Zuckerberg can always fall back on his second job: middle school teacher.

The Facebook CEO disclosed to Wired that he teaches a class every week to a middle school in East Menlo Park, Calif. Zuckerberg says he was influenced by his wife, Priscilla, who went into teaching after graduating from Harvard. Zuckerberg says the class is "on how to build a business."

"Every Tuesday we go over one skill, and each group has a side project," Zuckerberg told Wired. "When the class ends, they’ll come to Facebook and sell the products they’ve made, like they’re marketing them." Read more...

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Facebook introduced Facebook Home on Thursday, a new home screen for your Android phone that integrates the Facebook experience into other functions on your device.

We had the opportunity to spend a little time with Facebook Home following Facebook’s event running on both the HTC First –- a phone that will come with Facebook Home pre-installed – as well as the Galaxy Note II, which had Facebook Home installed from Google Play.

The experience on both devices was exceptionally similar — so similar in fact that we couldn’t tell any real difference between the two

A New Homescreen

The phone’s home screen, called Cover Feed, displays a constant stream of your friend’s status messages, and uploaded photos. For messages posted without a picture, Cover Feed will pull in your friend’s Cover Photo to use as the backdrop. Read more...

More about Facebook, Android, App, Tech, and Apps Software

Astronomers have spotted the most distant massive star explosion of its kind, a supernova that could help scientists better understand the nature of the universe.

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists recently caught sight of Supernova UDS10Wil (nicknamed SN Wilson) which exploded more than 10 billion years ago. It took more than 10 billion years for the light of this violent star explosion to reach Earth.

SN Wilson is known as a Type Ia supernova — a particular kind of star explosion that gives scientists a sense of how the universe has expanded over time.

"This new distance record holder opens a window into the early universe, offering important new insights into how these stars explode," research leader David Jones of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., said in a statement. "We can test theories about how reliable these detonations are for understanding the evolution of the universe and its expansion." Read more...

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We came in to Thursday's press event in Menlo Park expecting a "Facebook phone," and in the HTC First we got one. Kinda

But there was a reason Mark Zuckerberg devoted little more than five minutes at the end of the event to the First. He wants us to focus on Facebook Home. The $99 First is little more than a low-cost LTE Android phone with Home pre-installed.

And what is Home? How would you describe it in a few seconds to someone who knows nothing about this kind of thing and hasn't read a dozen posts on it already?

Having played with Facebook Home for a while, here's how I would summarize it: it's a screensaver for Android phones Read more...

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