Breaking news, information, and analysis on the latest mobile phones and mobile technology
VoLTE may promise digital-quality calling, but it may drain smartphone batteries at a rate that’s twice as fast as CDMA-based calls, says a study by Metrico Wireless that was first reported by GigaOM. The study measured the power consumption of voice calls placed over a CDMA network and compared it with voice calls that were transmitted over…
While I’ve personally never owned a rugged phone in the my life, one feature that I always seemed to go hand in hand with these devices is push-to-talk? Why? Not not a clue, but that’s exactly what AT&T and Samsung have done with the new Rugby III. The Rugby III is Samsung’s 5th generation rugged handset and…
Toshiba announced a new 13-megapixel, 1.12 micrometer CMOS image sensor that promises to deliver high-image quality equivalent to a 1.4 micrometer sensor. The company did this by implementing back side illumination (BSI) technology and integrated color noise reduction (CNR) to make a sensor that fits into an 8.5×8.5 mm size camera module. As a result,…
Sprint announced today that it is rolling out LTE to 11 new cities on the east coast and the mid-west. The lists of cities include: Anderson, Ind. Clarke County, Va./Jefferson County, W.Va. Harrisburg/Carlisle/Hershey, Pa. Hagerstown, Md./Martinsburg, W.Va. Harrisonburg, Va. Muncie, Ind. Peabody, Mass. Salina, Kan. Shenandoah County, Va. South Bend/Mishawaka, Ind. Winchester, Va. Sprint will…
In its latest report, ABI Research is predicting that nearly 2 billion NFC-enabled devices will ship in 2017. The lion’s share of NFC enablement will continue to be focused in the handset (smartphone) market, although other consumer electronic (CE) devices will also be included for simple pairing of devices, exchange of data and online authentication…
Well for once, AT&T is doing something that isn’t pissing America off. It turns out that AT&T’s roll out of 4G LTE coverage across the country is going better than anyone, including the carrier, had anticipated. The goal to cover 150 million people in over 100 markets was projected by AT&T to be completed by…
The iPhone’s silent mode isn’t “silent enough” for many people. If you hold your beloved smartphone on a hard surface, it will create a rattling noise often times more disruptive than a normal audible tone. To prevent this annoyance, Apple is patenting a new way that will make future iPhones “more silent.” The company’s patent…
The LTE version of the iPad mini has started hitting the hands of owners before its estimated delivery date. Shipments began rolling out on Tuesday, with Friday as the scheduled target date for deliveries. Interestingly, folks didn’t expect to see these 4G LTE iPad mini’s for at least a few weeks, as a longer wait was advertised…
Google scored a new patent from USPTO for coverage-based directions. The application talks about familiar things like receiving origin and destination, planning a route with wireless coverage data included in the mix. Here’s what the patent abstract says: Methods and systems for providing routing information to a user are disclosed. Based on a request for…
Sprint is moving forward with its effort to expand its 4G LTE network across the country to better compete with the likes of AT&T and Verizon. Nine cities currently only covered by Sprint’s 3G network will soon light up with LTE access. The following cities are benefiting from the rollout: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, Oakland/Fremont/Hayward, California,…