T-Mobile USA talks future, Deutsche Telekom weaning it off lifeline; Clearwire spectrum purchase still in play?
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom — better known in the States as T-Mobile USA’s disciplinarian parent — was out in New York today chatting up its American division’s prospects for the future, and execs from both sides of the pond had quite a bit to say. The biggest outstanding concerns for the carrier revolve around revenue and customer churn — which, let’s be honest, are the core benchmarks that any carrier in the world is looking to improve — and the division’s CEO Philipp Humm just announced a series of initiatives to help get those numbers in line. On the churn side, they’re “going big with Android” to combat the iPhone, continuing to roll out WiFi calling to alleviate network coverage issues, and tightening up “risk management” issues that have let some bill deadbeats slip through the cracks. Funny to think that non-payment is a big enough issue to be a revenue risk for these guys, but it’s true. Gallery: T-Mobile USA talks future, Deutsche Telekom weaning it off lifeline; Clearwire spectrum purchase still in play? Continue reading T-Mobile USA talks future, Deutsche Telekom weaning it off lifeline; Clearwire spectrum purchase still in play? T-Mobile USA talks future, Deutsche Telekom weaning it off lifeline; Clearwire spectrum purchase still in play? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …FAA warns of ongoing GPS issues in southeastern US due to Defense Department ‘tests’
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Don’t panic, but anyone planning on using GPS in the southeastern US for the next month or so will likely want to make sure they have a fallback option. That’s according to a flight advisory just issued by the FAA, which warns pilots that their GPS signal “may be unreliable or unavailable” due to “GPS tests” that the Department of Defense will be conducting between January 20th and February 22nd. Details are fairly light beyond that, but the FAA does note that when the “tests” occur they will be active for 45 minutes, and be followed by 15 minutes of off time — additional notices to pilots will apparently be issued at least 24 hours prior to any test. Of course, while this particular advisory is directed at pilots, it will presumably will also affect all other GPS devices, as the FAA doesn’t mention any GPS issues specific to aviation. The real question, however, is just what those mysterious “GPS tests” are — if they’re, in fact, GPS tests at all… [Thanks, Brady] FAA warns of ongoing GPS issues in southeastern US due to Defense Department ‘tests’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Eric Schmidt lays out three priorities for Google: LTE, mobile money, inexpensive smartphones
January 20, 2011 No Comment
He didn’t exactly go on at length about them, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt has laid out three clear priorities for the company in a brief guest article for the Harvard Business Review — and, not surprisingly, they’re “all about mobile.” Those include focusing on “developing the under
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Sorry, gents, but your conspiracy theories are wholly kaput — not only is a Samsung Galaxy S getting Android 2.2 stateside, but the speedy software update will start rolling out tomorrow on T-Mobile USA. That’s the word direct from T-Mo chief marketing officer Cole Brodman, who tossed the news to PC Magazine this afternoon, saying that the delay was a “quality control and timing issue.” Apparently, there’s extra work involved in skinning the operating system and adding exclusive apps like WiFi calling — though he didn’t confirm either would specifically appear in the Vibrant’s build of Froyo. Here’s some more welcome news, though: the gentleman promised that in general, Android updates on T-Mobile will be more prompt from now on, as the firm’s shooting to update all phones to new versions within five months of Google making source code available. Does that mean we should expect some Gingerbread men by May? We’re not totally sure, but we imagine that T-Mobile’s rivals aren’t sitting still — we’ll probably hear some fascinating , captivating and totally epic news about Froyo any minute now. Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant will get Froyo tomorrow, says T-Mobile CMO originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Opera has officially announced its much-loved web browser will be appearing on Sony TVs and Blu-ray players. There’s no specific details, but it given its low-key presence at CES a few weeks ago ( Sony Insider grabbed a video of it in action on the show floor — embedded after the break — unfortunately hampered by slow connection speeds) it will spread at least across the company’s 22 new connected HDTVs . Since the browser is based off of the Opera devices SDK backbone, it’s also not a stretch to imagine that Opera-enabled web applications, widgets, or other content using standards like HTML5 (no Flash, at least not yet) could piggy back onto Sony gear at some point. The real elephant in the room though is how this move relates to the Japanese tech giant’s Internet TV initiative that’s powered by Google TV . While we can’t imagine it signals Mountain View’s solution is destined for a dumping, between this and a similar move by Samsung including a browser in its own Smart TV platform , a little bit of jealousy could be just the kick Google needs to fix some glaring issues — which we’re all for, especially if it spawns a new round of potato based cajoling . Continue reading Opera browser headed to Sony TVs and Blu-ray players Opera browser headed to Sony TVs and Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Here’s what we know: the Samsung Galaxy S 4G is coming to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network (we heard as much this morning from the carrier itself, actually, but now Samsung’s got an announcement all its own). There’s a Super AMOLED screen of unknown size and Android 2.2 Froyo. Here’s what we don’t know: anything else, unfortunately. We’d guess pretty strongly this is the Vibrant 4G since that was Big Magenta’s nomenclature for the 3G version, but no one is officially uttering that name. Press release after the break. O Barcelona , where art thou? Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S 4G for T-Mobile official, details are scant Samsung Galaxy S 4G for T-Mobile official, details are scant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gordon Murray’s electric T.27 city car crashed in the name of science, holds up beautifully
January 20, 2011 No Comment
We asked for some crazy things in our vision of the car of the future , and we’re learning that many of them can be found in Gordon Murray’s implementation of his car of tomorrow, the T.27. EV power? Check. Odd central seating? Check. Racing-inspired safety measures? Double-check, as evidenced by these crash test photos which, as you can see, are remarkably close to the company’s computer simulations. It’s a tiny thing, just a little over eight feet long and weighing under 1,500lbs, though for that you’ll get a top seed of about 65mph and a range of between 80 and 100 miles — and the ability to run into a wall at a 40 percent offset without injury. Running prototypes are expected on the road in just a few months and, with any luck, production versions of this (and the gasoline-powered T.25) could be hitting the streets by next year. Gallery: Gordon Murray T.27 crash test Continue reading Gordon Murray’s electric T.27 city car crashed in the name of science, holds up beautifully Gordon Murray’s electric T.27 city car crashed in the name of science, holds up beautifully originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …How to keep your unlocked HTC WP7 device from re-locking after every sync
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Okay, so the WP7 hacking community may not be quite as active as that working tirelessly to keep every facet of Android devices splayed to the breeze, but that’s not to say there isn’t a skilled group of tinkerers doing their best on Microsoft’s best. ChevronWP7 is a clear example of that, and though it’s been officially pulled it is still quite certainly being used. Now its functionality has been extended with a second hack that enables you to use Zune to sync your HTC handset without it getting all locked up tight again. You can find all the details on the other end of the source link below, but we’ll go ahead and warn you that as soon as the next WP7 version drops this particular unlock will be disabled. Then it’ll be on to the next one. How to keep your unlocked HTC WP7 device from re-locking after every sync originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …j5 Create’s device / data sharing peripherals leave us cautiously optimistic
January 20, 2011 No Comment
We’re dying to find out more about j5 Create’s line of attractive and ambitious peripherals, but we’re not entirely sure they actually exist. The company’s website features six different data and device sharing products — the JUC100 Wormhole KM Switch offers keyboard and mouse functionality across two devices; the JUA230 DVI Display Adapter connects up to six monitors with three different display modes; and the JUH320 Wormhole Station brings together shared keyboard and mouse access with two USB 3.0 ports and a memory card reader. j5′s website promises stylish connectivity, featuring sleek product renderings and a flash presentation that provides, ahem, inspirational insight — swans, flutes, ballerinas — but no talk of finished products, price, or availability. Additionally, we haven’t found any of these devices for sale online, despite the fact that the brand’s parent company, KaiJet, is an established manufacturer of peripherals in Taiwan. So, yes, there’s a chance that someone out there is hooked up to a Wormhole Station right now, but we wouldn’t bet our diamond-encrusted iPhone on it. j5 Create’s device / data sharing peripherals leave us cautiously optimistic originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Way back in September 2009, we reported on an omnipotent war blimp from Lockheed Martin, now it looks like a similar dirigible could be hovering 20,000 feet above Afghanistan by this fall. (It’s not clear whether or not the two blimps are one and the same, but Lockheed’s craft was slated for an Afghan debut in 2011.) As part of the $211 million Blue Devil initiative, the US Air Force plans to pack the bloated beast — which sports seven times the carrying capacity of the Goodyear blimp — with up to a dozen interchangeable sensors and a supercomputer for processing data. It will then hover for stints as long as a week, collecting, assessing, and relaying important surveillance data to ground troops in a matter of seconds. It’s a tall order, but Air Force officials hope that an on-board wide-area airborne surveillance system (WAAS), which uses 96 cameras to generate nearly 275TB of data every hour, and a supercomputer hosting the equivalent of 2,000 single-core servers will fit the bill. The aircraft isn’t complete quite yet, but barring unforeseen obstacles, like a run-in with a giant needle, it should be up in the air starting October 15th. For more on Blue Devil check out our links below. US Air Force enlists super blimp for Blue Devil surveillance initiative originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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