Nokia states that the metal body of the Lumia 925 does not have any effect on signal reception, that being due to the design, particularly the aluminum ring that circles the handset. The Lumia 925 is equipped with multiple antennas, the main one being installed in the bottom portion of the smartphone, and the other two being near the top.

According to the post, the 925 has “stripes” keeping the antennas separate from portions of the metal ring, with the aluminum band being part of the overall antenna system. On top of it is the implementation of technology designed to balance the power with adjustments that take place based on how the handset is being held.

As such, the maker says that the antenna performance is maximized for all radio bands, whether it is LTE, WCDMA, or GSM, and that the reception experienced is on par with a handset body made entirely of polycarbonate rather than metal. There is a small caveat – Nokia says the signal will be reduced if the user purposely covers all edges of the phone with their hands.

This follows the “antennagate” debacle that Apple was hit with following the iPhone 4′s release, with users experiencing little or no signal if they held the handset wrong. Because of the issue, Apple was hit with a class-action lawsuit, eventually settling the issue with a $53 million settlement after offering a case that would serve as an unwanted bumper between the phone and antenna.

SOURCE: Nokia

The carrier sent out notifications to its customers about the fee 30 days before it went live, and says it includes details on each monthly bill regarding the extra 61 cents, per a statement by an AT&T spokeswoman. The new charge is applied for “certain expenses, such as interconnection and cell-site rents and maintenance.” Verizon Wireless imposes a similar fee, and had briefly also instituted a $2 fee for customers who chose to pay over the phone and via an online account, something that was quickly squashed following consumer complaints.

Reportedly, AT&T is looking at making about $350 million from the additional fee this year, and more next year due to the additional months it would be charged, having missed out on four months’ worth of the new revenue in 2013. For consumers, it will represent an additional $7 and some odd change shelled out yearly to the carrier, an amount so small some shrug it off.

Watchdog Public Knowledge has criticized the change, stating that the additional monthly 61 cents is merely a price increase, and that the carrier can get away with it because of lax regulations and insufficient competition in the market. A senior attorney with the advocacy group, John Bergmayer, said: “Imagine if McDonald’s advertised hamburgers for 75 cents, but then required you pay a $3 bun fee.”

Because the fee is so small, some call it a below-the-line charge because customers aren’t likely to notice it. That aside, it is also provides a way for carriers to advertise a lower fee than customers are actually charged. Presently, AT&T already charges about 50 cents as regulatory cost recovery charge per phone line, something that has been part of the carrier’s bills for about a decade.

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

As you can tell from the phone’s image, the Spot Global isn’t priced so high for up-and-up hardware, but rather for its satellite connectivity. The phone harkens back to the days of candy-bar handsets, offering a 4-line, 12-character display, a 99 entry address book, security via a lock code and keypad lock to avoid accidental dials, and changeable ringtones. The battery is said to last 36 hours on standby and 4 hours whilst talking.

The handset does offer data connectivity if paired with a monthly (or annual) service plan that offers data. With a mobile Internet connection, the handset can be used to access the Internet, though – as you might suspect based on the display’s size – this is achieved via a laptop using the phone as a modem and a USB data cable. Same goes for sending and receiving email, it would seem.

There’s also the ability to receive text messages, although they are limited to a mere 35-characters. Those who subscribe will receive a local area phone number. As far as plans go, the cost falls in line with what you would expect from a satellite cell phone – expensive, but not beyond what is normal for the market. Both monthly and annual plans are available, with each having its own plus and minuses based on the needs of the user.

Annual service plans start at $300 for 120 minutes, increasing to $480 for 960, $780 for 2400, $1200 for 4800, and $1800 for unlimited minutes. The cost per minute is highest for the cheapest plan (for minutes over the allotted number), starting at $2.50 and decreasing to $0.25. If such rates are too steep, there’s also the monthly plan, which gives 10 for $25 monthly, 80 minutes for $40, up to 400 minutes for $99 and unlimited for $150. The price per minute over the allotted amount is the same as with annual plans.

SOURCE: Find Me Spot

Earlier today, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced that they have joined the “It Can Wait” campaign, which was created by AT&T in 2012 and is slated to begin circulating advertisements on May 20. The carriers aren’t the only ones working towards eradicating texting while driving, however, with in excess of 200 organizations and companies also slated to come on board.

The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving, with it primarily targeting teenage drivers. For this reason, the project is set to run radio, TV, online, and in-store advertisements throughout the summer when teenagers are more likely to engage in the activity. The campaign will run through Labor Day.

As part of the campaign, teenagers and other commuters are being encouraged to make an anti-texting-while-driving pledge, doing so on the official It Can Wait website or via its Facebook account. The campaign is also ramping up on Twitter under the hashtag #itcanwait. Videos are already circulating for the campaign, with everyone being encouraged to share stories for the public on texting while driving.

In addition to the advertisements, It Can Wait’s website also features a texting-while-driving simulation game that demonstrates the difficulties and dangerous in sending a text message while operating a vehicle. While the co-branded aspect of the campaign will end on Labor Day, the project itself will continue beyond it.

SOURCE: PC World

Gingrich says that most people would call these devices “cell phones,” but he’s not so sure. With all of the things that you can do with a modern handheld device, Gingrich thinks that “cell phone” is obsolete, and we need a new name for what Gingrich calls “handheld computers,” although he thinks that specific name is a bit “misleading,” since the real power of these devices is in the “networking” rather than its computational power.

Gingrich says that “if it can take pictures, then it’s not a cell phone.” He also lists off other examples, such as if it can access a McDonald’s app, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Google, then it’s not a cell phone. So, if it’s not called a “cell phone” or a “handheld computer,” then what is it called? Gingrich wants your help.

However, as expected, many commenters have chimed in saying that “smartphone” has been the agreed-upon name for these devices for several years now, with some commenters stating that fact more nicely than others, but nonetheless, it looks like Gingrich will get his answer fairly easily, and no longer will he have to be puzzled by his iPhone that he holds up in the video.

According to ABC News, though, Gingrich’s press coordinator says that “smartphone” isn’t a viable naming option either, saying that such a device doesn’t offer “a smarter way to make phone calls.” He says that the term “smartphone” still refers to the device as a phone, which isn’t its main function anymore for the most part. Gingrich doesn’t mention “smartphone” in the video, which he probably should have, but either way, we’re not so sure that Gingrich will be able to get the general public to stop calling it a smartphone and call it something else. It’s a term that has been ingrained in users’ heads for too long.

VIA: Gawker

This represents a fairly drastic rise in numbers, with subscribers hitting a million a tad over a year ago. Of course, just because an individual subscribes to 3G in North Korea does not mean they have access to the Internet – quite the contrary. Subscribers are able to make voice calls and send text messages, and cannot access the world wide web and cannot communication internationally.

Long-term visitors have different access that is a bit more free, but still regulates international access. And both of these are different than the 3G regulations that visitors were briefly under earlier this year, which allowed for access to the Internet in addition to texting and voice calls. The network availability spurred a flood of photos from within the closed-off nation on Instagram, one of which is featured above.

Sadly, the Internet access wasn’t available for even a solid month before it was cut-off from visitors, leaving them with just voice connectivity and nothing else. No official reason was given for why the Internet access was pulled, with some speculating that the amount of content from within the nation being published online fueled the decision.

[via North Korea Tech]
Image via Joseph Ferris III

The information comes from CBS, which says the MTA tested WiFi support in 7 different subway stations late last year, and having experienced positive results will begin rolling out the project on a larger scale. By the end of 2016, it is expected that almost all of New York City’s 277 subway stations will have wireless Internet and cell phone coverage.

The wireless service will be provided via several carriers, including Boingo, Transit Wireless, and all four big wireless carriers, with reports that more will be added. While the project is ambitious, it is also slow going, with technical difficulties being presented. The subway system was constructed over 100 years ago, and certainly wasn’t made with eventual wireless service in mind.

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, among other carriers, have all joined the project to offer cell phone coverage in the 36 planned subways. As might be expected, some concerns about terrorism and the expanded wireless abilities facilitating it have been posed, but word has it the MTA is working alongside New York City’s counter-terrorism task force with the project. Beyond that it is being tight-lipped, and has nothing else to say.

[via Android Community]

The issue at play is that T-Mobile makes claims that seem to be contradicted by the fine-print in its uncarrier plans, which are promised to have no restrictions and yearly contracts. Such is the case with plans that aren’t accompanied by a cell phone, but not with plans where the customer gets a phone, which they are required to keep under T-Mobile service for two years or pay the device’s full retail price upon dropping the service.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said of the matter: “In our view, those advertisements were quite deceptive.” And one of the attorney’s working the investigation, Paula Sellis, expounded on that, saying: “You had to dig very deeply to understand what the terms of the program were, and you had to put two and two together.” T-Mobile doesn’t agree with their conclusion, as you might expect, but has agreed to change its advertisements and to offer customers a refund.

Says T-Mobile:

As America’s Un-carrier, our goal is to increase transparency with our customers, unleashing them from restrictive long-term service contracts — this kind of simple, straightforward approach is core to the new company we are building. While we believe our advertising was truthful and appropriate, we voluntarily agreed to this arrangement with the Washington AG in this spirit

According to Tech Hive, no customers complained about T-Mobile’s claims and services, with the investigation being prompted by the advertisements the carrier put out. For its part, T-Mobile has to pay $26,046 in costs and fees, has agreed to make its consequences of cancellation, true costs, and terms more clear, and to train its staff within the next 21 days to provide this information. Those who subscribed to one of the uncarrier’s plans by today are eligible for a full refund upon service cancellation.

[via Tech Hive]

As you can see from the pictures, this is about as basic of a cell phone as you can get; it looks like a toy, almost as if it came in a child’s playset or a novelty store. It is a fully functional cell phone, however, that isn’t tied to any carriers, services, or stores. Likewise, the blogger says that the $12 price tag is for a single unit, not a bulk discount rate, and that it isn’t priced as part of any sort of promotion. Just an ordinary, very cheap cell phone.

Word has it the actual construction price of the cell phone is in the single digits, meaning you’ve probably spent more on a movie ticket than it cost to make a simple cell phone. As the blogger points out, the cell phone without a name is less than half the price of the Arduino Uno while offering quite a bit more (relatively speaking) in terms of hardware. Such a conundrum prompted a teardown.

Opening the cell phone was as easy as popping its plastic apart, revealing a nearly connector-free board harboring a MediaTek MT6250DA and a Vanchip VC5276. Says Bunnie Studios, volume pricing for the MediaTek is less than $2. There’s a battery soldered to the board, as well as a Bluetooth antenna and a backlit keypad. While the teardown didn’t entirely solve the mystery of why it is so cheap, it was an intersting look nonetheless, showing that, in a perfect world with the right contacts, a simple cell phone without any plan subsidization or other factors can be assembled for about the cost of your last meal.

[via Bunnie Studios]

The trade-in special will begin at T-Mobile stores April 12, which is this upcoming Friday. Only so-called well-qualified customers will be able to take advantage of the special, and will need to trade in either an iPhone 4 or a 4S. In return, the iPhone 5 will be priced at $0 upfront plus the monthly service fee.

The special is in conjunction with a Simple Choice Plan. If your iPhone 4 or 4S is in good condition, you could receive credit on top of the iPhone 5 up to $120, which T-Mobile says can be used towards monthly payments, towards an existing bill with the carrier, or to buy accessories from the company. The plan starts at $50 per month, and offers unlimited talk/text and 500MB of data. Another $10 will get you 2GB of additional data, while an extra $20 will get you unlimited data.

T-Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said: “Our message to iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 customers is simple: bring in your device and trade up to iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. We’re making it incredibly attractive to buy an iPhone 5 by pairing an un-beatable upfront price and trade-in offer with Simple Choice, the most hassle-free and affordable rate plan in wireless.”

[via T-Mobile]

It has been one year to the date since Instagram became available on Android, with about 50-percent of its users running the mobile operating system. Google has rolled out an update to Chrome for Android to include autofill/password syncing, as well as updating Gmail with better auto-complete predictions. Twitter has started rolling out an update to its Android and iOS apps (and mobile web) with a wider variety of content, and Skype hit a new record with 2 billion minutes being used daily.

It has been a fairly busy news day for Apple, which is celebrating the 3-year anniversary of the iPad and had its “Bounce-back” patent invalidated by the USPTO. A crazy rumor has it an Apple TV with a motion controller will be launched this year, and if you’re up for some reading, we’ve got a piece on the iPhones expected to launch this summer. AT&T has rolled out its LTE network to 14 additional markets, and will be offering the 16GB GALAXY S 4 for $199.99, while T-Mobile has been tipped as preparing to bring LTE to unlocked iPhone 5s.

Hyundai and Kia have recalled over 1.9 million vehicles, Veyron has lost its top-speed designation to the Hennessey Venom GT, and Jimmy Fallon is slated to replace Leno as host of The Tonight Show next year. Facebook’s Home software has been leaked ahead of its unveiling, and CyanogenMod has added back in the opt-out feature to appease users. And last but not least, if you’re looking for something to celebrate, today is the cell phone’s 40th birthday. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of the night folks!

That phone call was made on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x (pictured above), a 2.5-pound piece of machinery that was priced at $4,000 when it went on sale in 1983. When Cooper called Engel from his DynaTAC, he was quite literal with his feelings, and didn’t say anything too poetic: “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cellphone, a real handheld portable cellphone.”

Of course, this may remind you of Alexander Graham Bell’s work and his invention of the first practical telephone. On October 9, 1876, Bell called his assistant, Thomas Watson, and they talked by telephone to each other over a two-mile wire that stretched between Cambridge and Boston, marking it the first time that anyone had ever communicated through two-way voice over electronic signals.

As for the first cellphone, that’s still a remarkable feat, and as with the traditional telephone industry, the mobile phone industry has come a long way since its inception. We went from 2.5-pound cellphones costing thousands of dollars, to devices that weight just a few ounces and can do pretty much anything. We certainly can’t wait to see what the next 40 years will bring us.

Image via Flickr

In 2012, the Government Accountability Office released a report after spending a year researching the health aspects of cell phone usage that stated the radiation limit needed to be reevaluated, the first time such a required had been made in nearly two decades. At the time of the report, the FCC had the SAR (specific absorption rate) set at 1.6W/kg.

The FCC reevaluated the radiation limit after the report was published, and has now published its own response, in which it states that the SAR limit is staying the same as it has been for many years. However, all is not staying unchanged. Per the report, the outer part of the ear has been reclassified as an extremity, a designation that legally allows it to absorb more radiation under current specifications.

The effects of cell phone radiation on humans is mostly unknown, but is typically regarded to be safe and to not cause some of the speculated conditions that populate conspiracy boards. Still, more research is needed on RF radiation and its potential health effects, something that could be prodded by the ever-increasing use of smartphones in our digital, mobile world.

[via The Verge]

This information comes from SecurityWeek, which interviewed the two researchers – Jethro Beekman and Christopher Thompson – about their discovery. When Android handsets utilize Wi-Fi Calling, they fail to properly validate the security certificate for the server, which leaves them open to MiTM (man-in-the-middle) attacks. This vulnerability was discovered by reverse engineering the T-Mobile feature.

Says the researchers, T-Mobile uses regular VoIP for Wi-Fi Calling instead of a connection that encrypted, something that aids in its vulnerability. An attacker can take advantage of the victim if he is using the same wifi network the call is being placed over, intercepting calls and doing with them as he pleases. Mention was also given of the possibilty for setting up a malcious network to get callers to connect and use it.

Said the researchers: “Without this proper verification, hackers could have created a fake certificate and pretend to be the T-Mobile server. This would have allowed attackers to listen to and modify traffic between a phone and the server, letting them intercept and decrypt voice calls and text messages sent over Wi-Fi Calling.”

Update: T-Mobile has rolled out a fix to all devices that corrects the issue.

[via Security Week]

Joining in on the fight is Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Utah representative Jason Chaffetz, California representative Darrell Issa, Colorado representative Jared Polis, and California representative Anna Eshoo. Eshoo is also planning on drafting up a bill similar to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s. She says, “The ban on unlocking cell phones puts consumers in the back seat when it comes to choosing the mobile device and service that best suits them”.

Senator Ron Wyden drafted up the “My Wireless Device Independence Act” to “ensure you can unlock your device.” He was the first senator to create a bill on the topic. Representative Jason Chaffetz is working on legislation as well, saying, “It is a freedom issue. You own the phone, you should be able to unlock it” The other representatives, while not drafting any bills, will be offering their full support to the cause.

With so much support for this issue, and being backed by so many members of congress, it seems like there’s a very good chance that cell phone unlocking can once again be legal. Consumers were outraged when the law went into effect January 26th. They paid a lot of money for their device, and having restrictions on what they could do with it didn’t seem to make any sense at all.

[via PC Magazine]

The service is set to launch by March 1, though it could happen earlier. This follows a change in North Korean law not too long ago that allows visitors to bring their own smartphones into the nation so that they can be used with the carrier’s SIM card. This is something that was never before allowed, and provides visitors with a level of connectivity with the outside world that has never existed in the northern Korean nation before.

The SIM cards are available at Koryolink retail stores and at the airport, priced at $70USD. The call rate is reported by the Associated Press as being 5 Euros per minute to the United States. Not surprisingly, calls to South Korea are not allowed. The hefty price tags will no doubt prevent travelers from using their cell phone as they would elsewhere, but does provide a necessary service to visitors, giving an (expensive) way to contact home.

In addition, users will be able to purchase a per-month mobile broadband plan via the service, using the SIM card in their mobile data device (USB modems will be supported). The cost of the monthly plan has not been released yet, however, but we’re guessing it’ll be pretty high if the per-minute rate is any indication.

[via Yahoo]

The service is aimed at consumers who make annually between $30k and $40k, as well as the younger consumer crowd that spends most of their mobile usage texting and checking Facebook. GoSmart’s marketing director Shailendra Gujarati said regarding the service, “We are looking at customers whose predominant needs when it comes to wireless are talking, texting or entry level data services.”

The service was already launched in nine markets in December, during which time it was tested. Today, however, the carrier has launched the service nationwide. Needless to say, it runs on T-Mobile’s own network, and two handsets are being offered under the service – a $49 cell phone and a $99 Android smartphone, in addition to an $8 activation kit and SIM.

The cheapest plan is $30 per month, which offers unlimited text and talk but no mobile data, while the best plan is arguably the $35 plan, which offers text, talk and unlimited data access at slower speeds for things like checking email. The most expensive plan is $45 per month, and is the same as the $35, except that web access is high speed for those who want to watch videos and stream music on the go. There’s a 5GB cap, at which point the speeds are throttled.

[via Seattle Times]

JD Power and Associates determines its results based on feedback from a variety of customers, as well as information provided on surveys. Using both, a score is given for each carrier, with 1000 being the maximum. Verizon clocked in at 766, narrowly beating AT&T, which had 759. Verizon received the Power Circle Rating of 5, while AT&T received 3.

Sprint came in next at 746 with a Power Circle Rating of 3, likewise placing it just a bit under its nearest competitor. Then, with a relatively large drop, there’s T-Mobile, which scored 715, and received a Power Circle Rating of 2. All of these fall under the full service list, which includes a non-contract section for prepaid carriers.

In the non-contract section, MetroPCS came out on top at 733 with a Power Rating of 5, while Virgin Mobile came in just under that at 729 with a Power Circle Rating of 5 as well. Third place is the popular prepaid service Tracfone at a solid 700/3, followed closely by Boost Mobile and Straight Talk. At the bottom of the list lies Cricket, with a score of 671/2, and Net10, with a score of 633/2.

[via Android Community]

California just passed a law that states that drivers are allowed to use mobile phones while driving, as long as its all done by voice. However, several groups, such as the National Safety Council for California, are begging the state to rethink the new law, saying that voice-texting while driving is still unsafe, and may be even just as dangerous as regular texting while in the car.

Researchers and psychologists have demonstrated in the past that people suffer significant impairment when they use a mobile phone while driving, and a study conducted by David Strayer of the University of Utah says that participants talking on a mobile phone had slower reaction times and were involved in more simulated accidents than when they weren’t on their phones — hands-free or not.

The participants’ cognitive impairment levels were around the same as those of participants who got in the simulator after drinking enough alcohol to register a 0.08% blood-alcohol content, which would be considered illegal in all 50 states. While hands-on texting certainly seems more dangerous than hands-free texting, studies have shown that sending a simple voice text led drivers to take their eyes off the road more often than usual, and they reported a higher mental demand during the experiment.

While you may be quick to retort that voice texting and chatting with people sitting in the passenger seat are the same thing, Strayer says that each of the two activities use different parts of the brain. Strayer’s research has shown that the mobile phone distractions in the car isn’t just physical, but also cognitive, meaning that drivers who use mobile phones “create weak memories of objects in the driving environment, suggesting a great deal of attention is drawn away from the road.”

[via The Atlantic Cities]

According to the consulting firm’s team, a variety of wireless experts using the Raspberry Pi, a radio interface, and a couple pieces of open source software create the mobile basestation. As you can see in the video, the team uses two cell phones and successfully has them communicate with each other. The purpose?

To show that it can be done, and for a very small price. “We’ve shrunk a 30ft basestation into a 3-inch Raspberry Pi and created our own mobile phone network. This proves what can be achieved through low cost, off the shelf systems.” Of course, they had to do this in a screened room in order to avoid running afoul of the law.

The system is run using three applications: OpenBTS, FreeSWITCH, and a script for assigning telephone numbers. OpenBTS is used for providing the GSM standard, while FreeSWITCH is used to route calls “in a similar way to Skype,” the consulting firm explains. Condescending a 30-foot tower into a 3-inch Raspberry Pi is perhaps the epitome of demonstrating low-cost solutions for the future.

[via New Electronics]

The announcement says that the throttling will begin “on or about 1/20/13″, meaning that users may start seeing slower speeds before that. The company’s “unlimited” data plan, like many, offers 2.5GBs of data per month of “full network speed,” stating that once that limit is hit, the data will be limited to 3G speeds of 256kbps.

According to Boost Mobile, it is expected that only a small portion of the company’s customers will experience throttled speeds. The data usage is measured across both hotspot and mobile devices, meaning a subscriber using a hotspot connection and a Boost Mobile phone will have their data usage combined with throttling taking effect at the 2.5GB mark.

There are no extra fees for going over the data cap with Boost Mobile. Although not much if you enjoy streaming music or watching movies on the go, those who use mobile broadband primarily for Facebook and email likely will never reach the point of being throttled. Boost Mobile will provide users with a warning text once they use 85-percent of their allotted data.

[via The Verge]

Currently, you can pull up a host of devices on Blockbuster’s website, with each device listening its key features and a link to its carrier’s website. A notice says under the devices, “Activate your device and get discounts worth more than $25!” There’s no word on what phones Blockbuster will sell at its retail locations or when it will start.

Blockbuster, maimed due to the rise of Netflix, was acquired by Dish a few years ago. Soon after taking over the company, Dish closed hundreds of Blockbuster stores, taking the total count from about 1700 to 850. This represents only a small fraction of the empire that used to be Blockbuster, which, eight years ago, offered approximately 9000 brick-and-mortar stores.

In an effort to stay above water, Blockbuster began offering an online DVD rental program similar to Netflix. It is now a base where Dish hocks its satellite TV subscriptions, and, presumably, where it will advertise its planned wireless service alongside the phones it will begin selling. The company’s chairman Charlie Ergen revealed in October that Dish plans to use Blockbuster to sell phones and unveil its wireless service, which is currently on hold pending instructions from the FCC.

[via Bloomberg]

The New York Times reports that the NYPD routinely subpoena the call records of theft victims, and that police documents suggest that thousands of subpoenas have been issued every year. However, while it seems fine that the police would check phone records to investigate criminal activity, some privacy groups question the practice of authorities storing personal data that’s not related to an active criminal investigation.

The database stores the calls that you made before your phone was stolen on that day, and all this data is put into what’s called the Enterprise Case Management System. All the records are hyperlinked so that they can be cross referenced to other cases as well. However, these call records are obtained without your knowledge, and carriers are complying with authorities without telling their customers in advance.

The NYPD isn’t commenting on the situation, but the Times says that T-Mobile cooperated with 297 subpoenas in January 2012 alone, and since T-Mobile is one of the smaller carriers, Verizon and AT&T are probably seeing larger numbers. While the police haven’t said whether or not they’ve actually used victim call records, the scary aspect about this is that they simply have access to the data. It’s not really clear what the NYPD plans on doing with the database in the future, and it doesn’t seem useful in helping solve phone theft crimes, since the Times reports that phone records seldom lead to an arrest.

[via The New York Times]

First up is AT&T, which is extending its late payment terms for customers in the storm’s path, as well as waiving late fees. In addition, the company is offering in-store charging via its retail stores, of which there are 400 locations in the northeast, as well as charging at charging stations and RVs powered by generators. It didn’t specify how long the extension and waived late fees will be applied.

T-Mobile is offering a similar program, providing service to both contract and prepaid customers whether or not they’ve paid their bill in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. In addition, users can charge their phones in any T-Mobile retail store; the company says that customers should call before showing up to ensure that the store has power. This offer is in place up to November 8.

Said AT&T’s northeast regional president Steve Hodges, “Our goal here is to help people stay connected to family and loved ones in the aftermath of this terrible storm.” AT&T customers can donate $10 to relief efforts by texting REDCROSS to 90999, STORM to 80888 to donate to the Salvation Army, and HUMANE to 80888 to donate to the Humane Society. T-Mobile customers can make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999, or can make a $25 donation by texting DONATE to 90999. AT&T customers can donate up to $50.

[via PCMag]

Passengers aboard Boeing’s 747-8, massive 787 Dreamliner, and 777′s will soon be able to use their cell phones according to the company and CNET. Back in July when Boeing unveiled their new 787 Dreamliner they were showing off their Android-based entertainment systems on board — but apparently that wasn’t the only Android and smartphone usage they had in mind.

Here in the US however, the FAA has a ban in place that probably will never allow for such activity. So the uses for this new technology and improvements isn’t really known at this point. Whether other countries and officials will allow the use of cell phones is an entirely different situation. Yes we have on-flight WiFi, but making calls is another level.

Along with cell phone use, WiFi as usual, and more, Boeing also states they’ll have actual live TV, and even wireless media streaming by sometime in 2014. If you need to have a video conference while sky high — Boeing will have you covered. Many still think smartphone usage on planes is no big deal and of no security concern, just ask Alec Baldwin.

[via AndroidCommunity]

Of those people who answered in the affirmative, 32% said they suffer dropped calls multiple times per week or more frequently. Though we’ve only got 32% of polled cell phone users saying that they experience dropped calls frequently, the number that say dropped calls are still an issue is pretty staggering. Looking at the chart above, we can see that 6% of users say they deal with dropped calls on a daily basis, and another 6% say it happens multiple times per day, which we imagine is endlessly infuriating.

Elsewhere in Pew’s report, which was authored by Jan Lauren Boyles and Lee Rainie, 69% of users say that they occasionally receive unwanted marketing calls, with 25% of users claiming that it happens a few times per week. 79% of cell phone users say they text message, and 69% of those texters claim to occasionally receive spam messages. Finally, we come to mobile Internet download speeds. 55% percent of cell phone owners use their phones to access the Internet, and 77% of those mobile Internet users claim to be hit with “slow download speeds that prevent things from loading as quickly as they would like” every once in a while.

The sad news is that smartphone owners report these problems more frequently than “other cell owners.” Looking at the second chart from Pew, we see that smartphone owners report problems with dropped calls, unwanted calls and texts, and slow download speeds more often than the rest. Pew says that the poll took place during March and April 2012, and that the non-profit polled a total sample of 2,254 adults to get these rather interesting results. At least now you know that you aren’t the only one suffering when you experience a dropped call, right?

What we’ve got here in the LeDIX Furtif is $300,000 for a device which is essentially a flip phone on the outside with a fantastically fancy pocket watch on the outside. This version of the LeDIX line features a carbon fiber body as well for a bit more hardcore feel than its predecessor, and has a 3.2-megapixel camera on its back as well. According to Meylan speaking with PCMag, this device is a first for several reasons, one of which is the carbon fiber:

“We’re using carbon fiber to create the entire structure, which has never been done before in the phone industry. It’s quite a challenge. … [The Furtif also features] the world’s most off-centered flying tourbillon.” – Meylan

A tourbillion is a mechanism which keeps a watch on point and telling the right time when the watch is held in any number of positions – not something you’d find in your everyday average smartphone or feature phone. Winding the watch on the cover is done by flipping the phone open or closed. In the future, Celsius hopes to present a device with a mechanism that charges the device in this way as well.

This device has a first run of 32 phones, 22 of which have been pre-sold already. Have a peek at some of the images released thus far of this device and check it out if you happen to be at BaselWorld this week, as Celsius will be in the house showing this beast off front and center.

[via PCMag]

The report also points out that in the U.S. RIM has now dropped to 30% smartphone market share with Apple right on its heels with 28% and Android in third with 19%.

This growth is being driven by the continuation of the market for smartphones maturing in the United States.   Carriers and smartphone vendors are doing a great job marketing the benefits of smartphones to consumers and developing a variety of pricing options for voice and data.

This growth is also being driven by younger consumers who are continuing to represent the largest market share of smartphone consumers.   The report points out that 50% of those consumers buying Android devices are under the age of 35.   When it comes to young consumers Apple still has the most of any device by consumers under the age of 44.

The report also highlights that smartphone owners are also very diverse.  The chart below shows a bit more diversity within ethnicities for smartphones than feature phones.    We have seen this trend as well within our own research as many ethnic groups are gravitating toward smartphones instead of adding additional PC’s to the home.

[VIA Nielsen]

FourSquare recently had a man check in at the International Space Station in space, and now this lovely civic duty adventure should launch them into popularity once more. Good job, FourSquare. This is neato. Read these words from the crew, then head over to the launch page for : FourSquare’s I Voted

The I Voted data visualization and badge have been designed with three purposes in mind: to encourage civic participation, increase transparency in the voting process and develop a replicatable system for the 2012 Presidential Election. Until we launch, make sure you have what you need to go vote on November 2nd!

[Via TechLand]

From the picture above, we can tell that the device itself is pretty simple: solely designed to find the RF energy given off by cell phones, the Wolfhound is a cheap, portable, and easy-to-use alternative to the system currently in place. The unit is manufactured by Berkeley Varitronics, which has been in the industry for more than 35 years. The Wolfhound is perfectly capable of finding those RF signals even through concrete walls, which means that it should be able to find cell phones quite easily. And since it’s not capable of blocking a cell phone’s signal, which many infrastructure usages do now, the portable unit will be far more usable in other situations. Though, we imagine that if prison administrations around the world are toughening up on cell phones in prison cells, this would be the easiest way to find and dispose of them.

[via Gearlog]

It wasn’t too long ago that pre-paid cell service wasn’t all that enticing. People would tend to go out of their way to try and sign that two, or three-year (depending on your location) contract, just to make sure that they got the cheapest price for their phone, and the full power of the wireless carrier’s network. Now though, services like Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile are stepping up their game, providing not only the price to become competitive, but also the features that people look for. This time, Boost Mobile has introduced a brand new pricing scheme for their International Connect feature.

The new feature, unfortunately, seems to be going only for a limited time. But, if you utilize Boost Mobile, and have one of their Unlimited Monthly plans, or BlackBerry Unlimited plans, then you can add International Connect for only $5 per month. That’s half-off the original pricing, which Boost launched in July. What do you get for that $5 extra a month? You get unlimited calling to over 150 cities in Mexico, landlines in the Dominican Republic, and unlimited calling to Canada. You also get unlimited calling to select countries in Asia Pacific. And if you’re in the US, you get unlimited text messaging to international countries. You can see the full list of cities right here. So if you’re an international traveler, or you know plenty of folks around the world, Boost Mobile’s probably starting to look more attractive. Full press release below, with more cities listed.

Press Release

Boost Mobile Gets Customers Closer to the World by Enhancing Its International Connect Add-On for the
Monthly Unlimited Offer

IRVINE, Calif. – Continuing to add value to its simple and affordable pricing options for customers who are taking advantage of no contract wireless services, Boost Mobile announces new enhancements to its International Connect add-on. The feature is available as an add-on to the Monthly Unlimited and BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited plans for an additional $10 a month. International Connect now includes unlimited calling to landlines in more than 150 cities in Mexico, landlines in the Dominican Republic, unlimited calling to select Asian Pacific countries, unlimited calling to Canada and unlimited international text messaging from the United States.

In addition to unlimited calls to landlines in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterey, International Connect now offers the same service to landlines in Tijuana, Puebla and Ciudad Juarez amongst others. Unlimited calling to Asian Pacific countries include China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore*.

For those Monthly Unlimited customers with an iDEN Series handset, unlimited walkie-talkie service from the United States, Canada and Baja California (Mexico) to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Chile is also included in the $10 monthly add-on.

“The Boost Mobile International Connect add-on makes it simple and affordable for customers to connect with family and friends worldwide,” said Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer, Boost Mobile. “The International Connect add-on also is a great alternative to international calling cards that can often be laced with abusive hidden fees.”

About Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, offers wireless phones and services with no long-term contracts. Boost Mobile redefines value for wireless consumers with its ‘Monthly Unlimited’ service, offering unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, e-mail, IM and 411 for $50 per month, and with its ‘BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited’ service, offering unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, e-mail, IM and 411 for $60 per month. Boost Mobile offers nationwide service on the Nationwide Sprint Network, reaching more than 276 million people, and on the Nextel National Network, reaching more than 277 million people, with no activation or long-distance fees. Boost Mobile offers a selection of quality handsets from Motorola, Sanyo, Research In Motion (RIM) and Samsung, ranging from entry-level to high-end devices. Boost Mobile phones are available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail stores, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Wal-Mart, Sprint retail stores, independent wireless dealer locations, and on HSN, a leading TV home shopping network; and Re-Boost® is available at approximately 100,000 locations throughout the United States. Experience Boost Mobile on the Web at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter; and purchase products at www.boostmobile.com.

The FDA says that the research into the topic is ongoing but at this time, there is no link between mobile phones and brain tumors. The scientific evidence used in the study included the recent World Health Organization findings that were released this week.

The results of the study that was released this month are from the largest study of its kind ever conducted. The study started in 2000 and was conducted in 13 different countries and coordinated by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer. The findings of the study are that there is little or no risk of brain tumors for long-term users of mobile phones.

While the transition from Widows Mobile to Android isn’t that shocking, considering the love that HTC has shown for the evolving OS, but considering that their Windows Mobile roots go well deeper than anyone can see, we’re shocked to learn that Windows Mobile 6.5 won’t be on the updated Touch HD. A source told Register Hardware that the new Touch HD will be significantly faster than its predecessor, and actually faster than the majority of HTC handsets on the market right now.

Currently, the basic standard for HTC devices is a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, but the mole went on to say that the Touch HD will upgrade to a 628MHz Qualcomm chip. The Touch HD 2 will also feature a massive 3.8-inch touchscreen (no word on resistive or capacitive, but it is Android, so hopefully capacitive). There wasn’t any information revealed about future availability or pricing, but we’re sure that won’t be too far off now.

[via Register Hardware]

Dahon, a company known for making folding bikes, has created what they’re calling the BioLogic FreeCharge, an incredibly useful gadget that they showed off at Eurobike this year. The FreeCharge is a small, silicone-encased box which hooks up to your bike’s generator hub, and then subsequently siphons off power for charging the devices you plug into it. The unit itself is built around a battery, and some generic circuitry for both storing electricity, and smooth out the spikes and dips in the FreeCharge’s output.

You can plug in any device that uses a standard USB connection, and that means iPhones, iPods, some cell phones, and other gadgets. As you pedal, and the FreeCharge gains juice, it will subsequently charge your connected device. Dahon says that a full charge will be reached at around three hours, but let’s face it, this is just to get your stuff functioning. Unless you plan on riding your bike long distances, as we’re sure this gadget is mostly tuned for, then it could potentially keep your device running indefinitely. As long as it’s connected, of course. Dahon says the BioLogic FreeCharge will be available in March of 2010, for $100.

[via Wired]

The HTC Touch Pro 2 is set to land on the Big Red network on September 11, for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. This seems like a standard price for the phone, but considering that both Sprint and T-Mobile USA are launching the same exact device for $350, after rebates, we’re pretty shocked at the news Boy Genius Report’s ninjas are revealing. Along with the mail-in rebates, you’ll also need to sign a new two-year contract, but everyone should be used to that by now. This is the reason why Verizon has a leg-up on the competition. The pricing is at that mid-range for phones, and especially considering the feature set available with the Touch Pro 2, it could look staggeringly good to someone shopping around for the best price. Of course, if you’re on the fence about buying this phone, you should read our review. That will probably sway your decision.

We can’t say for sure whether or not this is a phone to make people go ahead and jump ship from their current carrier, if they aren’t already on Verizon, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see at least a few people meander away from either of the two companies brave enough to charge that much, especially compared to Verizon’s pricing. So what do you think?

[via Boy Genius Report]

The image shows us that the Hero will be up for pre-order September 13. And while the image hasn’t been verified at all, by anyone, it’s still a step in the right direction, as these things tend to lead to solid information more often than not. Besides, there’s no reason to think that a pre-sale at Best Buy for the HTC Hero on Sprint wouldn’t start taking place around that time, giving the phone a month to officially release before getting into customer’s hands.

Rumors are rumors, and leaked shots are about as common as it gets, so take it for what it’s worth. If you’re a Sprint customer, then it looks like you might start to get a bit excited now, especially if the Palm Pre wasn’t your cup of tea. We don’t have much longer to wait either way, so just tap into that reserve of patience you surely have, and hurry up and wait.

[via Boy Genius Report]

Steampunk originated as a form of fiction, based in an alternate-reality 19th Century Earth. In this universe, inventors made huge leaps in technology by creating things like computers from the materials of the time period, like iron and and brass, even with steam power. As for today, Steampunk may have a slightly different meaning in the sense that the above creator manufactured his phone, but you can obviously see the essence of the science-fiction is still there. Very, very much there.

Standard Steampunk creations usually have the basic feature set, created by the more standard materials such as: metals like copper or brass; rivets; gears and cogs; wood; glass; antique light bulbs; and leather. As for the phone, there isn’t any word regarding what exactly the manufacturer used, but we can gather from the images that there’s definitely glass, and rivets closing that metal case together. He’s got some extra things on the back, like covers for “ports” that make it look like an industrialized compass. And there’s even a pipe on the side, just in case all that steam power needs an outlet to release, you know? No word on how to buy it, or what it could cost. So, just stare.

[via English Russia]