Vonage loses appeal, now owes Verizon $117.5 million
Filed under: CellphonesA follow-up to our earlier story regarding Verizon’s patent lawsuit against Vonage: the latter company has lost its appeal against the former, and is now looking at having to pay the full $117.5 million settlement, plus $2.5 million to charity. It’s been a bad few days for Vonage indeed, with the company’s shares dropping 87 percent since IPO, and a tenth of its workforce out of a job. When you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way is up, right?[Via Slashdot] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Nokia patent app reveals Sidekick wannabe
Filed under: Cellphones We’re pretty sure this isn’t the first time someone outside of Danger conjured up images of a Sidekick wannabe, and while we’ve certainly seen a real fake version before, Nokia is apparently toying with the idea of kicking out a legitimate contender. In a recent patent application, Nokia details its vision for “compact devices with turn and slide concept,” which looks an awful lot like a Sidekick save for the twistable apparatus on the side. To move the display and reveal the QWERTY keypad, users must turn the side-mounted knob, which subsequently shifts the LCD upwards and back while giving your thumbs access to the keys beneath. We’re still on the fence with the whole winding approach, but it’s an interesting deviation to the norm, regardless.[Via UnwiredView] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
700MHz band: future home to worldwide mobile broadband standard
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless If you’ve been losing sleep over not knowing precisely what was going to happen to all that spectrum space that will be freed up when the imminent analog-to-digital cutover takes place, your insomnia is about to be (at least partially) cured. The US of A apparently pushed hard for a worldwide consensus on spectrum use — suggesting that a common approach was more reasonable than each nation choosing separate frequencies for next-generation services — and sure enough, it ended up getting exactly what it wanted. Apparently, the 700MHz band will now be reserved for a mobile broadband standard accessible throughout much of the globe, including most of North America, Central America, South America, Europe, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Of note, Europe was able to land a concession that enables it to offer up “about half of the bandwidth available for mobile services in their region” compared to what is offered elsewhere, but the agreement definitely makes the forthcoming auction that much more interesting.[Via RCRNews, image courtesy of toddemslie] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Wholesaling of D block spectrum okayed by FCC
Filed under: Cellphones, WirelessLanding an agreement to create a worldwide mobile broadband standard with the freed up 700MHz band isn’t the only good news going on in the spectrum world, as the FCC has also waived a previous regulation that would require winners of the D block segment to not wholesale more than 50-percent of its capacity. Now, the winner will be able to wholesale up to 100-percent of the capacity so long as it abides by the other guidelines surrounding D block, most notable of which is the provision that requires the victorious bidder to “build out a nationwide wireless network that is good enough to meet public safety specifications for coverage and redundancy.” The move is seen as one that will widen the range of potential bidders and encourage small business participation, and for consumers, it could offer up more competition in the mobile services marketplace. Sounds like a surefire win-win, eh?[Via RCRNews, image courtesy of toddemslie]Read – FCC D block waiver [PDF]Read – Explanation of D block spectrum Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Vodafone to have exclusive rights to 3G iPhone in Q1?
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable VideoIt’s been awhile since we’ve had a decent 3G iPhone rumor to kick about. Perhaps it was the collective disappointment of the 2.5G release on Europe which deflated all the mongering. Whatever it was, we all know it’s coming, it’s just a question of when. Well, the gossip coming out of Italy calls for a Q1 release of a UMTS iPhone. Italian site Morse.IT claims to have spoken to high-level sources and “confirms” in no uncertain terms that Vodafone has signed an exclusive deal with Apple. Right, the same company currently suing T-Mobile in Germany for their iPhone exclusivity. The launch of the 3G iPhone would occur simultaneously in all countries where the carrier operates but will not be announced until after the holidays (MacWorld?) to avoid impacting sales of the existing iPhone. The timing jibes well with other rumors calling for a 3G release before May. Still, a Vodafone iPhone sold in the UK and Germany would seem a violation of those long-term exclusive deals presumably signed with Apple by O2 and T-Mobile, right? Sure, unless of course, those contract were for rights to the “iPhone,” not the “iPhone 3G” you silly lawyers. [via Unwired View] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Motorola and T-Mobile sort out Sidekick Slide issues
Filed under: CellphonesAfter a few days of investigation, it looks like Motorola and T-Mobile have figured what was behind that nasty Sidekick Slide bug that caused the devices to shut off when flipped open. According to our friends at Moto, the root cause was “a minor issue relating to the battery contacts,” and a solution is being tested right now and should be available by next week, when Slides are expected to go back on sale at T-Mo stores. A speedy resolution, to be sure, but we’re still amazed a bug like that got through in the first place. Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Samsung, AT&T announce A747 “SLM” flip
Filed under: Cellphones So the Samsung A747 for AT&T is finally here, ‘cept it’s not the A747. Instead, the slim clamshell has been appropriately christened the “SLM.” Think of the SLM as a juiced version of the also very thin A717, carrying over the 2 megapixel cam and attractive brushed metal exterior while adding a much larger 96 x 96 external display and support for Napster Mobile — a first for AT&T. Get the SLM beginning November 23 for $150 after a $50 rebate on a two-year contract. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
iPhone users can now drop data plan, save $20 per month
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless For those of you who keep your iPhone connected via WiFi entirely more often than through EDGE, listen up. As of now, it appears that iPhone users can login to their AT&T myAccount page, surf on over to the “Add / Manage Features” section and opt out of the (previously required) monthly data plan. Making the change will save you a whole $20 per month — or $240 per year, if you prefer that perspective. Granted, you’ll also lose visual voicemail in the process, but at least you’re now being presented the option, right?[Via TUAW] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
Hello Kitty gets two new Bluetooth headsets
Filed under: Cellphones What better to go with your shiny new Hello Kitty-themed phone than — wait for it — a Bluetooth headset doused in cuteness? Apparently, a pair of these very devices have managed to surface, and we’re sure gals everywhere are clamoring to get their hands, er, ear under one. Granted, we’ve no idea how well these things would actually work (nor how much they’ll cost), but the adorable factor is undeniably through the roof. If you’re not already overwhelmed, feel free to check out the other version after the break.[Thanks, Mickel]Continue reading Hello Kitty gets two new Bluetooth headsets Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: cellphones.engadget.com
