Been wanting to stick it to Ma Bell , but have found yourself shackled by those pesky micro SIMs and your inexplicable fear of all things pointy ? If you’re wielding an unlocked device with a diminutive slot, T-Mobile’s giving away the pint-sized cards gratis — provided you’re also willing to sign your precious life away on contract. It’s a shameless play for Cupertino’s sweetheart, sure, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the carrier try to ship us some teensy SIMs. Making the plunge? Enjoy your rebellious ways while they last — we hear Little Magenta’s assimilation by the borg isn’t too far off . T-Mobile hawks Micro SIMs for ‘free’, hopes your iPhone likes EDGE data originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Visualized: this gel-filled Sprint head is testing all sorts of futurephones
July 22, 2011 No Comment
Chamber testing is most certainly nothing new for your average carrier — every one of the big boys here in the States already does something similar to this — but it’s not often that we’re given an inside look at what exactly happens within those elusive doors. During a recent Sprint campus walkthrough , we peeked into the carrier’s network development lab for a glimpse at what it takes to certify a phone for use on its network. Granted, the vast majority of Sprint’s testing is done elsewhere across the industry, and we were informed that the yellow dome shown above is actually a minty fresh model that includes “gel” within its borders, seemingly to produce a more realistic testing ground. You know — because human brains are clearly shrinking, while craniums are being increasingly filled with nondescript fluids. All jesting aside, we were told that this is the place where Sprint ensures Antennagate never comes to its side of town, and every Now Network phone (present and future ) has to roll through here before being allowed out. The reason? Sprint needs to be absolutely certain that there’s no stray radio emissions bleeding into frequencies that it doesn’t support, and of course, to ask the Verizon guy if he can hear him now. Gallery: Sprint HQ reception test head Visualized: this gel-filled Sprint head is testing all sorts of futurephones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint readies Nexus S 4G update with improved WiMAX performance, we go hands-on (video)
July 22, 2011 No Comment
How would you feel about a little Android 2.3.5 (!) action on that Nexus S 4G of yours? What about some WiMAX performance improvements? You should be getting all that plus WiFi connectivity and speakerphone quality tweaks, along with TTY support on Monday July 25th, which is when Sprint is expected to begin rolling out an OTA update for Samsung’s pure Gingerbread handset. We were given an exclusive first look at the new software, and while it’s still being finalized, we tested it side-by-side with the original, and our results show a welcome increase in 4G speeds across the board. As you may remember, we observed repeatable WiMAX performance issues with the old software, so this update is excellent news indeed. The amount of improvement will likely depend on your locale, but even in signal-challenged San Francisco and New York we noticed the difference right away — so kudos to Google, Samsung, and Sprint for addressing this. We also experienced performance in-line with our Epic 4G — the benchmark device used for our initial testing with the previous firmware version. Take a look at our gallery below, and peek at our hands-on video after the break. Gallery: Sprint Nexus S 4G update Zach Honig contributed to this report. Continue reading Sprint readies Nexus S 4G update with improved WiMAX performance, we go hands-on (video) Sprint readies Nexus S 4G update with improved WiMAX performance, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu F-07C now available, marries Windows 7 and Symbian at last
July 22, 2011 No Comment
Calling the Fujitsu LOOX F-07C an eccentric device is not a stretch — in fact, it’s one of the more unique smartphones we’ve seen in a fair length of time. Now available on NTT DoCoMo, the dual-booting hybrid is touted as “the world’s smallest PC,” since it can switch between Windows 7 and Symbian and offers a few netbook-worthy specs. It runs off a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z600 CPU (downclocked by 50 percent, unfortunately), a 32GB eMMC SSD, and 1GB LPDDR400 RAM, packed underneath a 4-inch SVGA (1024 x 600) LCD display. You can also take advantage of the 5-megapixel camera on the back, paired up with a VGA front-facing shooter. Things get a little strange when it comes to battery life, however; while you get up to 600 hours of standby time and 370 minutes of talk time in mobile phone mode, it gets sucked dry after just two hours when using Windows 7. If your smartphone just doesn’t have enough brainpower to handle your daily grind, here’s an alternative. Full press release with specs are after the break. Continue reading NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu F-07C now available, marries Windows 7 and Symbian at last NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu F-07C now available, marries Windows 7 and Symbian at last originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba Regza 32BC3 HDTV features power saving button, destined for Japanese shores
July 22, 2011 No Comment
The latest member of Toshiba Regza family of HDTVs, the 32BC3, just had it’s pretty little IPS face revealed in Japan. Unlike most sets you see these days, this 32-incher sports only a 1,366
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Crash-avoidance technology in cars is hardly anything new , of course, but Toyota’s gone a bit further than most with its latest effort. While complete details are still a bit light (including any word of an actual rollout to vehicles), the new system is said to use a combination of both front and rear cameras, and millimeter wave radar technology to detect pedestrians or obstacles that could lead to a crash. The real kicker, however, is that when the car does detect a possible collision, it actually takes control of the wheel to avoid it instead of just stopping the vehicle. What’s more, that’s just one new safety measure that Toyota recently showed off to reporters in Tokyo — it’s also working on things like a pop-up hood that could provide some additional protection in the event of a crash, and a steering wheel that can measure the driver’s heartbeat and avoid a crash if they suffer a heart attack. Toyota’s new crash-avoidance technology takes control of the wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Lodsys adds Rovio, Atari, EA and others to patent suit, makes birds even angrier
July 22, 2011 No Comment
If you thought Lodsys was done making a spectacle of itself and dragging app developers to court, you were sorely mistaken. The king of the patent trolls has amended its original complaint against mobile devs, removing one company, but adding five new ones — all of them big names. Rovio, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Atari, and Take-Two Interactive have been added to the list of defendants in the suit filed back in May. Vietnamese company Wulven Games has been dropped from the complaint, but Lodsys has more than made up for it by directly targeting possibly the largest mobile title out there — Angry Birds . You can find the completely amended filing at the source link and, if you’re in the mood for a bit of a refresher, check out the more coverage link. Lodsys adds Rovio, Atari, EA and others to patent suit, makes birds even angrier originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hot on the heels of AT&T’s happy earnings tidbits yesterday, VZW’s latest figures also show that it’s raking the money in nice and regular. Total operating revenues in Q2 were $27.5 billion — that’s up half a billion on Q1 2011 and 6.3 percent on Q2 2010 (on a non-GAAP basis). The Big Red claims 2.2 million net additions to its wireless customer base, contributing to a 6.6 percent year-on-year increase in wireless service revenues and a 22.2 percent increase in wireless data revenues. The wireline side of the business also performed well, with 189,000 FiOS Internet additions and 184,000 FiOS TV additions adding up to a 9.4 percent year on year increase. Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg summed it up as “one of Verizon’s best quarters since the 2008 economic downturn.” Verizon is on a roll, posts another $27.5 billion in Q2 revenues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Having a hard time parting ways with a certain plucky, lightning-scarred orphan ? J.K. Rowling feels your pain (as she counts her money) and has teamed up with Google to help you fall in love with the world of Hogwarts all over again — e-book style . The voluminous tomes will be making their exclusive electronic debut through Google’s eBooks platform as part of the Sony-backed Pottermore site launching this October. El Goog’s open format plays nicely with “more than 80 ereaders” — we’re looking at you iRiver Story HD — and can also be downloaded in app form for iOS and Android smartphones. But the integration doesn’t end there — under terms of the agreement, Google Checkout “will be the preferred third party payment platform” for all the site’s Harry Potter knick knacks your credit limit will allow. It’s ok, you don’t have to let go of the dream just yet. There’s still a little wizard inside us all. J.K. Rowling, Google to bring Pottermania to your e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Warranties be damned, iFixit got its hands on the newly announced MacBook Air and immediately did its thing, digging into the super-thin laptop like a kid at Christmas. Not all that much to see from the outside of the device, save for that new Thunderbolt port and some shiny new keyboard backlighting. Things are a bit different inside, however, including an Intel Core i5 processor, a Bluetooth 4.0 chip, and a general lack of thermal paste. As for putting the thing back together again — the Air scores a four out of ten for repairability, so maybe don’t try this at home. iFixit tears down new MacBook Air, beholds the miracle of backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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