Mar/100
Bluetooth Access Point brings text messaging, voice messaging, email to the friendly skies
Whether you covet your Irish friends’ ability to make in-flight cellphone calls or value your aerial naps too much to care either way, you must admit that the promise of in-flight SMS, MMS, voice messaging, and text email is tantalizing. To this end, the kids at Asiq have announced a little something called the Bluetooth Access Point. This device uses the aircraft’s satellite link to send data to your respective carrier, eliminates the need for a picocell, and boasts up to 3Mb/s speeds. Now let’s see how quickly this bad boy gets approved for use! (Or not.) PR after the break.
Bluetooth Access Point brings text messaging, voice messaging, email to the friendly skies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar/100
Sony prepping new line of handhelds, including PSP phone?
You know who knows everything? People familiar with the matter. In particular, they know everything when “the matter” happens to be Sony’s handheld strategy for 2010, which is said to finally include an honest-to-goodness PSP with phone capabilities — something the world’s been demanding for as long as they’ve wanted a Zunephone. According to the WSJ, the device is apparently part of a larger push by Sony to create an iTunes-like Utopian ecosystem of products this year that connect to Sony Online Service, an ecosystem that would also include a hybrid portable of some sort that “blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable.” Details aren’t offered on this particular monster — but turning our attention back to the phone for a second, it’s claimed that Sony’s working with it in conjunction with the folks at Sony Ericsson under the direction of Kunimasa Suzuki, an exec largely responsible for the VAIO line who’s also involved with the PlayStation team. Of course, SE’s already taken some baby steps toward corporate harmony by bundling Remote Play support with the Aino, but everyone knows that PSP compatibility is the panacea; Microsoft finally buckled on the Zunephone thing with the introduction of Windows Phone 7 Series, and there’s no reason why Sony shouldn’t follow suit.
Sony prepping new line of handhelds, including PSP phone? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Adobe confirms no Flash in Windows Mobile 7 (updated)
Look, it’s pretty clear that Windows Mobile 7 will be revealed by Microsoft at Mobile World Congress. We’ve been feeding on a veritable feast of WinMo7 rumors for several months now all pointing to Steve Ballmer’s keynote scheduled for 3PM Barcelona time (9AM in New York). Now Adobe has issued a statement apparently confirming what we’ve already heard: Windows Mobile 7 will not support Flash. Unfortunately, the actual quote carried by Phone Scoop doesn’t mention Windows Phone 7:
“Microsoft and Adobe are working closely together. While the newest version of Windows Phone won’t support Flash at initial availability, both companies are working to include a browser plug-in for the full Flash player in future versions of Windows Phone. More details will be shared at Microsoft MIX next month.”
Of course, the “newest version of Windows Phone” is technically 6.5.3 — a WinMo update recently announced (but hasn’t shipped) and presumably still works with Flash 10.1 beta (but isn’t guaranteed). And since we can’t find the Adobe statement on any of its usual press channels, we can’t say for sure this quote is related to Windows Mobile 7. Still, we don’t doubt the accuracy of Phone Scoop so don’t get your hopes up for Flash in the initial builds of Windows Mobile 7 Windows Phone 7 Series devices.
Update: Sorry kids, we have independent confirmation: Windows Phone 7 will not support Flash at initial launch.
Adobe confirms no Flash in Windows Mobile 7 (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Google’s Nexus One ‘equipment recovery fee’ slashed to $150, still a pain
So the good news here is that Google appears to have heard the cries for help, having taken a chainsaw to its brutal $350 “equipment recovery fee” that had been lumped on top of T-Mobile’s $200 ETF for subsidized Nexus One contracts canceled in the first 120 days. The bad news, though, is that it still exists at all — a hairy precedent for an industry being watched with eagle eyes by the FCC right now. The company has knocked $200 off the fee, bringing it down to $150; in other words, if you break your contract, you’ll pay the same ETF that Verizon now charges on its “advanced devices.” Whether that was a deliberate move to let ‘em say that they’re no more expensive than Verizon is unclear, but let’s be honest: $350 is extreme, $550 was highway robbery. At least we’re going in the right direction.
Google’s Nexus One ‘equipment recovery fee’ slashed to $150, still a pain originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
NFC goes peer-to-peer, won’t help you download next week’s Lost premiere
Near-field communication, or NFC, has been slowly but surely creeping its way toward mainstream adoption, and this latest announcement by the NFC Forum, rulers of the 13.56MHz frequency, should only help things to go more smoothly. It has announced the Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP), enabling NFC-compliant devices to talk to each other. We’re not talking massive transfers on a gigabyte scale here, rather things like contact infos, web addresses, and surely other types of secret message (”UR Cute!”). Along with LLCP comes the new NFC Signature Record Type Definition (RTD), which not only yet another acronym but also entails a new way of digitally signing those messages, theoretically preventing their being usurped and used for evil purposes — like recess blackmail.
NFC goes peer-to-peer, won’t help you download next week’s Lost premiere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
Verizon whittles $350 ETF ‘advanced device’ list a bit, FCC pressure paying off?
There hasn’t been any official announcement by Verizon — nor any recent public chatter between the carrier and the FCC — but for whatever reason, Big Read has gone ahead and smacked some ten devices off its premium “advanced device” list that it had used to determine whether a particular phone qualified for the gargantuan $350 early termination fee. On the surface, it would appear that these guys might be looking to appease the feds now that even Chairman Genachowski is getting in on the offensive, but the more plausible scenario is that they’re looking to restrict it to smartphones and netbooks alone — the ten phones removed were all featurephones, including the Motorola Krave, Samsung Rogue, and a host of LGs. For buyers of high-end dumbphones, it’s great news — but for anyone who prefers WinMo, Android, or a mythical, non-existent CDMA iPhone, the fight continues.
Verizon whittles $350 ETF ‘advanced device’ list a bit, FCC pressure paying off? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
Motorola pauses split to mull options
Amazing what a little success will do to a company, isn’t it? The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Motorola has put the brakes on its search for a buyer for its Home and Networks Mobility division that’s responsible for the company’s set-top boxes and network infrastructure equipment. It’s easy to see why this might be a good time for Moto to pause and take stock of its situation — while no one’s even close to calling the Mobile Devices division’s turnaround complete, the focus on Android appears to have injected fresh interest (and commercial success) in a lineup plagued with countless duds just a year ago. Apparently the company is also discouraged by the fact that suitors have lowballed Motorola’s expected sale price by a billion or two, but make no mistake, the split isn’t off altogether — the executive board is expected to convene in the next few days to figure this all out before the next round of bidding is due in February. Stay tuned — by the end of the year, we could realistically be looking at one, two, or even three Motos depending on how this goes down.
Motorola pauses split to mull options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
FCC backs off talk of forcefully reclaiming spectrum from TV broadcasters
Rest easy, broadcasters: your hard-earned spectrum is safe, at least for the moment. The FCC’s full-court press to round up additional spectrum for wireless broadband services had led it to suggest reclaiming some spectrum from broadcasters in recent months — a move that would arguably make sense considering the ever-shrinking importance of over-the-air television and the availability of more efficient broadcast methods — but was met with considerable resistance from the broadcast industry, ultimately leading it to back off the message this week. The Fed’s director of scenario planning for its broadband task force has gone on record saying the commission had never seriously considered implementing such a plan, instead looking at “a scenario that establishes a voluntary marketplace mechanism so that broadcast TV stations have a choice in how they want to use their spectrum.” In other words, sell it if you want, keep it if you want — and in all likelihood, the FCC would be looking to repurpose any offloaded frequencies for broadband. Of course, this kind of plan could leave the country with a fragmented system of spectrum slots where individual stations have elected to sell part or all of their airwaves, not really an optimal solution when some estimates have us needing to clear several hundred additional megahertz to keep up with data demand over the next few years — but it’s a start.
FCC backs off talk of forcefully reclaiming spectrum from TV broadcasters originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
T-Mobile makes mention of 3G issues with Nexus One, hopes to have ‘more information’ soon
There’s no fix yet, but Nexus One users are getting a solid first step this week now that T-Mobile is officially investigating the 3G / EDGE fluctuation issues that folks have been reporting. A posting over on T-Mob’s official support forums is now asking for users with verifiable problems to report a few key stats including their location, the nature of the problem (no 3G or 3G / EDGE switching), and whether they’ve got another AWS 3G phone handy that’s performing better. The company says that it hopes “to have more information for you soon,” so, you know, keep that box handy just in case this puppy needs to get exchanged Nokia 5800-style.
T-Mobile makes mention of 3G issues with Nexus One, hopes to have ‘more information’ soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
Clear says not to expect any WiMAX smartphones before end of 2010
Clear might be busy bringing WiMAX to as many places as it can, but it looks like that won’t include smartphones — like that just-rumored HTC device for Sprint — anytime soon. That word comes from Phone Scoop, who reportedly confirmed directly with Clear that it doesn’t expect to see any WiMAX-equipped smartphones until at least the end of 2010. The company did say that it expects to see more WiMAX phones available in 2011, however, and that any “phone-type device” that uses WiMAX would use either VoIP or Sprint’s CDMA network for voice calls. Not surprisingly, Clear didn’t drop any hints about exactly who those WiMAX phones might come from.
Clear says not to expect any WiMAX smartphones before end of 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
FCC chariman echoes commissioner’s sentiments, says Verizon’s ETF response ‘raised more questions than it answered’
FCC chairman and general ass-kicker Julius Genachowski is siding with his commissioner Mignon Clyburn this week, noting that Verizon’s response to the Fed over its $350 “advanced device” early termination fee didn’t really satisfy everyone’s curiosity. He’s not ready to talk about the FCC’s next move in the case — we’re guessing another lengthy open letter is in order — but he assured media on hand that “the bureau is looking into” the situation. In the meantime, just don’t get tired of that Droid too fast, alright?
FCC chariman echoes commissioner’s sentiments, says Verizon’s ETF response ‘raised more questions than it answered’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan/100
T-Mobile takes entire 3G network to 7.2Mbps
It’s really that upcoming 21Mbps HSPA+ action that has us all hot and bothered, but T-Mobile USA took a nice little interim step today in announcing that its entire 3G footprint has now been upgraded from 3.6 to 7.2Mbps. Considering that AT&T won’t be at 100 percent 7.2Mbps coverage for some time to come, this is a nice little boost — of course, T-Mob’s got a smaller network to contend with, so it’s a trade-off for customers. Can someone do us a favor and drop us a line when we can finally have both a blazing network and coverage everywhere? At the same time?
[Thanks, Patrick]
T-Mobile takes entire 3G network to 7.2Mbps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec/090
RIM blames massive service outage on newer Messenger versions
Diehard BlackBerry users often compare BlackBerry Messenger to a potent drug. And just like a drug, coming down from a BBM high can be rough — so rough, in fact, that RIM’s claiming that a couple recent releases are responsible for “an unanticipated database issue” that stone-cold knocked out data service for many of the world’s subscribers yesterday. Folks using versions 5.0.0.55 and .56 are being strongly advised to upgrade to 5.0.0.57 immediately, but in the meantime, Waterloo says its systems are back to normal while apologizing “for any inconvenience to customers.” With three major outages now under BlackBerry’s belt in the past month, faith in the rock-solid stability of its infrastructure is fading rapidly — but then again, it gives you a great excuse to be off IM for a few hours and talk to live humans, doesn’t it?
RIM blames massive service outage on newer Messenger versions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec/090
Fring brings one-way video calling to the iPhone
Continue reading Fring brings one-way video calling to the iPhone
Fring brings one-way video calling to the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nov/090
Verizon goes after Sprint’s ‘most dependable 3G network’ ad claim
Looks like Verizon’s addicted to the sweet taste of success: following its victory over AT&T regarding the Map For That ads, Big Red’s complaining to the The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus about Sprint’s “America’s most dependable 3G network” tagline. Verizon says that a recent Nielsen survey shows its network drops fewer calls than Sprint’s, and for now the bureaucrats agree — the board’s asked Sprint to stop airing the ads. For its part, Sprint says one study doesn’t tell the whole tale, and it’s going to keep showing the ads while it appeals to the National Advertising Review Board. In other news, Verizon’s lawyers were seen heading to the local BMW dealership late last night, following a run-in with Sprint’s attorneys at the Mercedes-Benz showroom.
Continue reading Verizon goes after Sprint’s ‘most dependable 3G network’ ad claim
Verizon goes after Sprint’s ‘most dependable 3G network’ ad claim originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct/090
Google says it’s now blocking ‘fewer than 100′ numbers in Google Voice
The crux of AT&T’s recent complaint to the FCC regarding Google Voice was that Google — not being subject to the common carrier rules that help facilitate fair, open telephone networks — was blocking customers from accessing numbers managed by rural carriers that charged higher connection fees, thereby giving it a leg up on its Old Guard competition by saving cash in ways AT&T and others are legally barred from doing. Google’s hitting back today, not by agreeing to submit to common carrier rules (come on now, don’t be ridiculous) but by saying in a statement to the FCC that it’s now blocking calls to “fewer than 100″ numbers in total now that it has finished implementing new back-end capabilities that allow it to single out specific numbers rather than entire exchanges. Google complains that calls to the top ten exchanges accounted for 26 percent of its entire connection fee outlay — but yeah, that’s pretty much what telcos have been dealing with since time immemorial, so the bellyaching’s likely to fall on a lot of deaf ears. For what it’s worth, the company is still asking the FCC to make sweeping changes to connection fee policy, but whether this ends up getting them out of AT&T’s more immediate concerns remains to be seen.
[Via Phone Scoop]
Filed under: Cellphones
Google says it’s now blocking ‘fewer than 100′ numbers in Google Voice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct/090
FCC keen on commandeering TV spectrum for wireless broadband
We’ll come right out and say it, we like Julius Genachowski. Whether you agree with the dude’s policies or not, you can’t deny he’s pursuing them with gusto. Having already noted the insufficient carrying capacity of current mobile broadband airways to deal with incoming 4G connections, the FCC chairman is now reported to be moving ahead with plans to provide greater spectrum allocation for those purposes. Currently in the draft stage, the latest Commission proposals include a plan to reclaim airwaves from digital broadcasters (and pay them appropriately for it), which are to then be sold off to the highest bidder from among the wireless service providers. Executing the most extreme version of this plan could generate around $62 billion in auction revenues, though it would require transitioning digital TV viewers over to cable or subscription services and is therefore unlikely. Jules and his crew are still “looking at everything” and ruling out nothing, but we can probably expect to see a moderate shift of TV spectrum rights over to wireless carriers in the final plans when they’re revealed in February.
[Via Phone Scoop]
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Wearables
FCC keen on commandeering TV spectrum for wireless broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct/090
AT&T sues LG, Samsung, others alleging LCD price-fixing ‘conspiracy’
A cellphone without an LCD isn’t much of a cellphone. Alright, yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, LCDs still rule the industry, which makes it a ripe target for nefarious price-fixing schemes to take root — something that LG and Sharp are well-acquainted with coming off a stinging half-billion dollar verdict last year. All the talk of artificially inflated display pricing recently must’ve spooked AT&T, because they’ve gone ahead and filed a lawsuit in San Francisco today alleging that LG, Samsung, Chunghua, AU Optronics, and others all conspired to boost component prices during a period in which the carrier bought some 300 million handsets. That’s a boatload of phones — several times AT&T’s total subscriber base — and we’re guessing the result could be a significant cash outlay if they’re successful with the suit. Does this mean free Mythics for everyone?
[Via Phone Scoop]
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays
AT&T sues LG, Samsung, others alleging LCD price-fixing ‘conspiracy’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct/090
Dell bringing Mini 3i Android set to AT&T?
Dell, Android, and AT&T have been mentioned in an awful lot of whispered sentences over the past few months, so today’s Wall Street Journal report on a Round Rock-sourced Android set for Ma Bell isn’t exactly a huge surprise. Apparently Dell’s making some tweaks to the Chinese-market Mini 3i in preparation for a 2010 Stateside launch — obviously the China Mobile-specific OPhone build would have to go away in favor of full-flavored Android, and we’d bet that WiFi and a nicer camera make their way into the casing as well. That’s really all we know for now, but we’re sure Dell’s soon to hold an 8AM event where some random exec will pull it out of his pocket for 10 seconds before putting it away and announcing Inspiron laptops can now be ordered with giant Affliction dragon logos painted on them. You just keep doing what you do, Dell.
[Via Phone Scoop]
Filed under: Cellphones
Dell bringing Mini 3i Android set to AT&T? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/090
T-Mobile starts 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in Philadelphia, nationwide in 2010
T-Mobile USA’s really kicking things into high gear, coming from behind (way behind, actually) on its 3G launch to become the first to bring 21Mbps HSPA+ here — and possibly the only one to do it, considering that its closest GSM rival is leapfrogging from 7.2Mbps HSPA to LTE. Speaking at 4G World in Chicago, T-Mobile’s Neville Ray has gone on record saying that its 3G footprint will be blanketed by HSPA+ next year and is actually already up and running in parts of Philadelphia; amusingly, he was apparently a little weirded out by AT&T’s earlier comments at the show that it’d have 90 percent of its 3G coverage upgraded to 7.2Mbps by the end of 2011, suggesting that was slow (we’d agree, but then again, considering how far behind T-Mobile still lags in raw 3G coverage, we’re not sure they’ve got room to talk just yet). If we had to guess, this huge push for mega-fast data has to do with investor discontent on the Deutsche Telekom side of things, so you can bet there are some crossed fingers out in Bellevue as this stuff lights up; now, just give us the world-class phone selection to match and we’ll be good to go.
[Via Phone Scoop]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
T-Mobile starts 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in Philadelphia, nationwide in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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