The plans are competitive with other prepaid providers out there, and $40 per month will land you unlimited minutes and text messages, as well as 250MB of data. However, if you need more megabytes to get through that whole season of Parks and Recreation on Netflix, you can opt for the $55 per month plan that gives you 2GB of data, or $70 for 7GB of data.

As for the phone selection, you’ll have your pick at numerous devices at different price points, all the way down to $30. However, if it’s an iPhone you’re wanting, you can grab the iPhone 5 for $649. However, Aio Wireless isn’t offering LTE, and there’s no word on whether or not that feature will come eventually, so if you need faster speeds while on the go, maybe look elsewhere.

However, if you simply need something just to get you buy, and you’re set on AT&T’s coverage, Aio Wireless is a viable option. While it’s only available on Houston, Orlando, and Tampa, AT&T says they plan on expanding over the next couple of years, so hold on to your horses if you live elsewhere and are wanting to hop on.

The car location patent reveals a bit on how Apple intended this system to work in ways we’ve never before seen implemented in the real world. With the remote starter situation, the technology has, indeed, been implemented in ever-so-slightly different ways – controlling the car via the internet, for example. Here with the car location patent, Apple intends to install sensors throughout whichever parking complex your vehicle is parked in.

Unlike Apple’s tendency to work with the mobile part of the situation, here with the car location patent you’ll find the parking complex full of wireless trackers that communicate with one another and your iPhone locally. This system will, instead of making your car howl with honks for your location purposes, send you an indicator based on the map of the complex.

Vehicle control in this Apple patent set works with not only remote start, but power windows, door locks, and more. Though controlling the remote starter on your vehicle will require a bit more range than Bluetooth currently offers, up close and personal you’ll be able to work with basically anything in your vehicle from your iPhone sooner than later. If this technology comes to fruition, that is.

[via Apple Insider]

Google released a device just over a year ago by the name of Nexus Q. This device was the size of a bocce ball and was revealed at a conference for software developers: Google I/O. Because we (SlashGear) were at the event, we were given this device to work and play with, and even went so far as to give it a full standard review. It works in a manner very, very similar to this new PLAiR device.

Unlike the PLAiR, the Nexus Q required an Android device to play video wirelessly to your television. It also took up significantly more space on your television stand. Here with the release of the PLAiR, we’ve also entered an age with our mobile devices in which wirelessly flinging video from ones smartphone to the TV is all but expected – the GALAXY S 4 does it, the HTC One does it, and with the dawn of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, most future Android devices will do it too.

Unlike those devices, the PLAiR will not be using DLNA technology to connect your device to your television. Instead it uses a wi-fi signal emitted from the PLAiR hardware and picked up by your notebook, desktop, tablet, or smartphone – or basically anything that can connect to wi-fi and has a web browser.

Connecting to the PLAiR device (which will be connected to an HDMI port on one’s television) is done with a slight modification to the user’s Chrome web browser. So that is another must-have for this setup – if you can’t run Chrome, you can’t work with PLAiR. From there it’s a miniature button that floats above your YouTube videos and other app-bound videos galore – a single tap sends them playing on the television the PLAiR is connected to. Hulu doesn’t work here at the launch of this device, nor does Netflix – perhaps sooner than later though, we’ll see.

Now it’ll be a matter of marketing this device differently from Google’s Nexus Q. In that case, Google sent out the first wave of orders and gave everyone their money back because they estimated the costs to outweigh the benefits of continuing to work with the device. Perhaps we’ll see the return of that device in a new form next month. Make sure you join us at Google I/O 2013 through our Google I/O tag portal from the 15th to the 17th of May.

[via Dvice]

“Sprint is in play” Ergen said of his company’s new deal, with the chairman apparently far more confident that Dish could pick up the carrier than it was about the proposed Clearwire deal earlier this year. Despite making an informal offer for Clearwire, Dish subsequently abandoned its bid after numerous legislation issues arose.

In contrast, Ergen points out, picking up Sprint would only involve paying off the $600m breakup fee that is part of the carrier’s existing sale agreement with Softbank. Dish would cover that fee, the chairman promises, in addition to paying $4.76 in cash and $2.24 in Dish stock for every Sprint share.

“Sprint shareholders will benefit from a higher price with more cash while also creating the opportunity to participate more meaningfully in a combined DISH/Sprint with a significantly-enhanced strategic position and substantial synergies that are not attainable through the pending SoftBank proposal” Charles Ergen, chairman, Dish Network

The payoff for Dish is clear, the company has said. With Sprint included, the TV provider could bundle voice and internet service, in addition to mobile entertainment access, to subscribers: Sprint’s cellular data could provide an alternative to traditional DSL/cable home broadband. For Sprint, Dish argues, the benefit would be not only in cash but Dish’s existing 45 MHz spectrum holding, its roster of satellite TV subscribers, and its network of customer services and technical staff already operating in the US. In all, Dish argues it could achieve savings of around $11bn if the deal goes through.

“The combined national footprints and scale will allow DISH/Sprint to bring improved broadband services to millions of homes with inferior or no access to competitive broadband services” Charles Ergen, Dish Network

Softbank announced its bid for Sprint late last year, offering $2.2bn for the carrier in what it said was an attempt to streamline the US operator’s LTE rollout, plus a shortcut to negotiating better deals for top-tier handsets. Dish came out as a vocal critic of the acquisition soon after.

The Sprint board will now have the option to consider Dish Network’s offer, though – even if accepted – Softbank will have the opportunity to increase its own bid. Dish has a new microsite detailing its proposal, with Ergen even going so far as to compare the suggested deal with Seinfeld. “In terms of our strategy,” the chairman writes, “I often think of the television show Seinfeld … you initially didn’t know exactly where things were going, but it seemed to all come together in the end.”

[via WSJ]

The 600MHz frequency band will be sold at the auction. Currently, AT&T and Verizon Wireless have a similar low-band 700MHz frequency, which they are currently using to build out their 4G LTE coverage. However, many smaller carriers have very little of these lower frequency bands. In fact, T-Mobile has none. These low-frequency bands are highly coveted, as they can penetrate through buildings, and travel long distances.

The DOJ told the FCC that if AT&T and Verizon Wireless were to purchase all the spectrum they want from the auction, they won’t use the spectrum efficiently. It believes that the two major wireless carriers will purchase the spectrum just to make sure the smaller carriers don’t have the chance to use them. Without the added competition, the major carriers would be able to continue to charge high fees. The DOJ stated in its filing,

“A large incumbent may benefit from acquiring spectrum even if its uses of the spectrum are not the most efficient if that acquisition helps preserve high prices.”

The DOJ also states,

“Namely, the more concentrated a wireless market is, the more likely a carrier will find it profitable to acquire spectrum with the aim of raising competitors’ costs. This could take the shape, for example, of pursuing spectrum in order to prevent its use by a competitor, independent of how efficientialy the carrier uses.”

The DOJ states that by giving smaller carriers a chance to purchase the spectrum they need, more competition would ensue, which would be the best thing for the wireless business. If smaller carriers are able to secure low-band frequencies from the auction, they will be able to improve their coverage, and in turn “make them stronger, more aggressive competitors.” It’s still undecided how the DOJ and FCC will regulate the auction, however the DOJ suggested that the larger carriers be only allowed to purchase smaller blocks of the low-frequency spectrum.

[via CNET]

THe FS1 Air has a very compact design, meaning its designed to fit into any area in your home or in your office. It has Class HD Technology, an amplifier that delivers high power density and high efficiency, combined with a Digital Signal Processor, which controls the equalization and crossover of your music, to create the best performance possible and best tone quality for your music.

Of course, if you don’t want to wirelessly stream your music to the Scuderia FS1, you can always plug your music device in via the 3.5mm jack available on the device, or dock your iOS devices on the 30-pin connector. The Scuderia FS1 Air Speaker Dock was inspired by the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, as well as the Ferrari itself. You can tell by the speaker’s beautiful curves, black and red color scheme, and the quality of music the device can produce.

Ashvin Patel, CEO of Logic3, says, “We designed the FS1 Air to offer a sophisticated solution that provides a crisp and powerful audio experience.” We first heard about the Scuderia FS1 Air Speaker Dock way back at CES this year. Previously, we expected the device to cost about $549.00, however, the price has been confirmed to be $649.00. It’s quite expensive for an audio dock, but it’s something audiophiles will want to have in their collection.

According to 9to5Mac, a developer testing out the beta operating system spotted the code in OS X 10.8.4, specifically in the WiFi-frameworks folder deep within the file system. The code clearly reads “802.11ac” and it’s a line of code that is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest version of OS X that’s currently available to the public.

If you’re not too familiar with 802.11ac wireless, it’s essentially the successor to 802.11n, which is the latest and fastest network protocol to be certified. We’ve seen a few routers with 802.11ac on board, but it has yet to be certified, so we probably won’t be seeing a crop of 802.11ac products pop up just yet.

However, we’ll definitely see 802.11ac sprout up more and more in the near future, but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Apple waited a bit to implement it into their Macs. Sure, it may be in the code itself, but it’s possible that Apple won’t enable it in the next batch of MacBooks right away. However, we’ve heard in the past that Apple is partnering up with Broadcom to bring the new protocol to Macs this year.

[via 9to5Mac]

There’s also DLNA streaming and support for guest networks, allowing you to open up select access to visitors. In fact, the functionality is the same as the N750 wireless router-only that Linksys announced last year, only with the addition of ADSL support.

There’s still a WAN port for external modems, in case you subsequently want to use the X3500 with a cable or fiber modem. Linksys also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, Cisco Connect Express, for remotely tweaking settings, monitoring usage, and upgrading firmware.

Hook up a USB drive, meanwhile, and you can access its contents from any networked device, or indeed stream from it to your PS3, Xbox, or other gadget; a USB printer can also be shared. The Linksys N750 Dual-Band X3500 router is available in the UK now, priced at £139 ($213).

Qualcomm announced that it’ll be working with the MLB over the next two years to implement WiFi improvements to each of the 30 MLB stadiums to assess the level of WiFi coverage. The company said that select stadium reviews are underway as we speak, with the rest of fleet getting improvements over the next two years.

Qualcomm noted that WiFi traffic has been on the rise at MLB ballparks, and the company will not only figure out ways to improve WiFi coverage in stadiums, but also figure out new ways to deliver helpful and interesting content to spectators during the game. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, and it’s not said how much upgrades will cost.

Qualcomm will also be working with carriers to improve 3G and 4G coverage in and around MLB stadiums. Frankly, improved wireless coverage is becoming more of a must at high-traffic areas like sports stadiums. With the growing amount of connected smartphones making their way into the hands of sports fans, stadiums will need to compensate by offering better WiFi coverage during the games.

With the rise of Cloud Computing we’ve seen more than a few businesses build their greatness on the idea that you should be able to access all of your digital bits and pieces from wherever you may be. With Windows Blue, you’ll be finding that not only your digital media and download approvals will be going with you, you’ll also have the ability to move from one PC to the next with your wireless accessories, too.

• Device Associations (including Bluetooth)
• Internet Explorer Tabs and Tracking Protection
• Picture Password
• File History
• Input Personalization
• Explorer Quick Links
• App Secondary Tiles
• Tethering
• Installed Apps

So say you’ve got a Bluetooth mouse that you love so very much, but you’re often switching from your home computer to your work computer, and your work computer is one that other people often use with their own login. With Windows Blue (the next big update for Windows 8), you’ll find that once you’ve logged in with your Microsoft account, you’ll be able to see your Bluetooth mouse right away – provided you’ve brought it with you.

Also revealed this week was the fact that Windows Blue will have your Microsoft account bringing your Start Screen panels in the same configuration you left them, again no matter what PC your working with. Sound like the cloud is bringing you with it yet?

Are you convinced by Windows Blue yet? Perhaps you’d like more information on this upcoming Windows 8 build? Have a peek at the timeline below for more details!

John Roukema, the Director of Silicon Valley Power, stated, “This is just one of the major benefits our community will enjoy as a result of our advanced metering technology.” Silicon Valley Power expects there to be over 5,000 connections to its public WiFi network a day. However, because users will be accessing an unencrypted WiFi network, they are encouraged to browse with extreme caution, and have a firewall and antivirus installed on their devices.

Santa Clara’s free public WiFi is a positive step forward for the city and will provide great convenience for its residents. Santa Clara’s WiFi network is aimed more at casual internet browsing rather than data-intensive services such as online gaming and HD video streaming because users will be limited to speeds of about 1Mbps.

Many other Bay Area cities are also working on providing free public WiFi for its residents. Earlier this month, San Jose announced that it will be launching free, high-speed public WiFi for its entire downtown area. San Jose is working together with Ruckus Wireless Inc. to provide free public WiFi to specific locations in its city. Because San Jose, like many other cities, already has fiber-optic cables installed throughout its city, the cost of creating a free wireless network isn’t too expensive. Vijay Sammeta, San Jose’s Chief Information Officer, stated that San Jose’s network only cost about $100,000 to install and $20,000 to maintain annually.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

During an analyst event, JetBlue announced that they will be calling their in-flight WiFi service “Fly-Fi,” a clever play on words with “Fly” and “WiFi.” The service will be powered by Exede Internet, which is owned by ViaSat. JetBlue hasn’t given a launch date yet, but they hope to have their first WiFi-enabled flight take off sometime later this year.

JetBlue also teased the new service, by releasing a video that demonstrates the speed of their new WiFi service compared to other top WiFi providers like Gogo, Row 44, and Panasonic’s own service. Of course, JetBlue boasts that their Fly-Fi option surfs the web at a much quicker rate than the other three providers.

The airline says that there’s still a lot of testing to be done, and the FAA still needs to come in and do a series of certification tests before the service can be put to public use. Currently, a large number of airlines have WiFi available, but you usually have to pay a small fee in order to get it. JetBlue will be one of the few airlines to offer free WiFi on board.

The new prepaid plan, which doesn’t require a contract, is priced at $19.99 for unlimited, nationwide calling. If you need more calling options, you can tack on a $15-per-month plan that includes 1,000 minutes of international long-distance calling to both wireless and landline numbers to over 50 other countries.

There’s a one-time fee of $99 for the Wireless Home Phone device (pictured above), but voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting are all included at no additional cost. AT&T says that their Wireless Home Phone service is portable, meaning that you can take it anywhere within the US without and problem, and customers can keep their existing home phone number.

Many people are giving up their landline connections in favor of just using their own mobile phones. However, some people aren’t willing to give up a dedicated phone line in their home, so AT&T wants to step in to make it much easier for these kinds of people. The new prepaid plan will launch this Friday.

Hardware

There are a couple of key form-factor elements you know you’re getting with a speaker-bar, though Sonos does try to put its own spin on the concept. They’re generally long and narrow, intended to go under or above your TV, and to separate the left and right speakers by as much as possible to broaden the sound stage.

So, the PLAYBAR Is a reasonably handsome slab of matte silver aluminum and black fabric, fairly heavy at 11.9lbs (though a single person can still lift it and move it around), and with holes on the back integrated into rubber feet for either wall or table positioning. It’s not as long as some speaker-bars we’ve seen, at 35.43 inches across, but it’s fairly broad at 3.35 x 5.51 inches. Physical controls are limited to the familiar cluster of Sonos buttons – mute, volume up, volume down; all flanking a white status LED – on one end of the bar.

On the back, in a recessed panel, are the ports: two ethernet connections, an optical audio input, and a power socket. Conspicuous by its absence is HDMI – Sonos tells us it views the TV itself as the hub for multimedia control, and so the PLAYBAR Is intended to focus solely on audio not source switching duties – as well as the aux-in analog input you get on the PLAY:5 speaker. In the box, Sonos includes a power cable, a flat ethernet cable, and an optical audio cable. All remote duties are handled by the usual Sonos apps.

Inside, there are a total of nine speakers, each with its own Class-D digital amplifier. Three 1-inch titanium dome tweeters are spread between the outer edges and the center, while six 3.15-inch aluminum cone midrange speakers fill the remaining space; there’s no onboard subwoofer, though you can wireless connect a Sonos SUB if you want more low-end.

That’s not the only cleverness inside, however. Sonos has fitted the PLAYBAR with an accelerometer so that it knows which way up it’s placed: that means it can automatically figure out if it’s on the wall – with the “top” facing out – or sitting flat, and adjust the equaliser settings automatically. There’s also a pass-through IR system, which repeats your TV remote’s commands in case the TV’s own IR receiver is blocked in some way. The PLAYBAR can also learn the volume commands from your existing remote, so that you don’t have to dig into the app just to tweak the audio when you’re in the middle of a film.

Setup and Use

Sonos has built a reputation around not only great audio quality but ease of setup, and the PLAYBAR is no different. You’ll need to be using the latest versions of the apps for iOS or Android since they add support for the PLAYBAR’s unique features, but otherwise adding it – whether to a new or an existing Sonos system – is a matter of hitting the mute and volume up buttons on the bar itself and waiting for the app to recognize it. That can be done over a WiFi connection (as straightforward as plugging in power and the TV audio cable, though you’ll need to have at least one Sonos speaker or BRIDGE hooked up to your router via ethernet) or with a wired connection to your router. The second ethernet port can be used to pass through the internet connection to another device.

Like a regular Sonos speaker, you can assign a name (such as “TV Room”) to the zone; however, there are also some new steps to the setup. Starting with the TV turned off, you can first optionally add a SUB to the PLAYBAR, and/or a pair of PLAY:3 units for use as rear surround speakers. If you choose to, they’ll still be available for regular music duty, only they’ll also be preset as the default home cinema set too.

After that it’s a case of turning on the TV and waiting for the PLAYBAR to start piping the audio through. Sonos recommends digging into your TV’s settings to disable its onboard speakers, and then guides you through registering the remote you’ll be using to adjust volume – probably the TV remote, but it could be for your Blu-ray player or cable box. In our test system, that was as simple as pressing the volume up button on the remote, and the PLAYBAR automatically recognized its volume and mute controls from that point on.

If your remote isn’t recognized, however, Sonos guides you through teaching the commands to the PLAYBAR, a process which takes about nine button presses. Cleverly, the speaker-bar’s new found skills aren’t kept to itself: it sends the new settings back to Sonos’ servers, where they’re bundled into the firmware catalog for future PLAYBAR units to choose from. That all happens transparently to the user, of course.

Just as setup is different, so there are some new options in the settings page once you’ve got your PLAYBAR hooked up. There are still bass and treble adjustment sliders, and a “loudness” switch, in the equalization page, but not the balance control you have on standalone PLAY zones; however, you do get a new audio delay control, which helps match up lip-syncing. We didn’t have to make any adjustments to that ourselves.

You can turn off the IR signal light and the IR repeater, if you prefer, as well as run through the remote control setup again. There’s also the autoplay options: whether the PLAYBAR will automatically switch over to the optical audio input when the TV starts making sounds (rather than continuing to play music) and, separately, whether the PLAYBAR automatically leaves whatever group you have it set to when autoplay happens.

Sonos has been clever with how it manages connectivity and shared use, given that the PLAYBAR will likely be relied upon both as a TV speaker but also as a music system. Inside, there’s not one but two wireless chips: one 2.4GHz chip for hooking up to the regular SONOSNet 2.0 peer-to-peer network joining all PLAY units together, and a second 5GHz radio for directly connecting with a SUB and/or PLAY:3 pair for home cinema duties (though not PLAY:5 speakers, since they lack the 5GHz support).

By including this second chip, Sonos avoids any latency introduced by piping rear audio or bass track data through your home network, as would normally be the case for multiple PLAY speakers. It’s vital when you’re dealing with multiple speakers playing the same content, since any lag will be instantly noticeable. We set up a pair of PLAY:3 speakers for use as the rear surround set, and could observe no delays in the soundtrack.

As long as autoplay is turned on, when you turn on your TV the PLAYBAR automatically switches over to that source. That includes leaving any group you have it currently playing music in. If you subsequently try to add the PLAYBAR to a PLAY speaker group, or add tracks to its playlist via the app, it will pop up a message warning that doing so will stop the TV audio in that zone, and ask if you actually want to do that. One small frustration was that the PLAYBAR didn’t subsequently rejoin the music group once we stopped using it with the TV; we had to manually add it back in.

Performance

Simple setup would be for naught if the PLAYBAR didn’t sound any good, but happily that’s not the case. Sonos has tuned the speaker-bar in two distinct ways, it says, for music and for TV/movies, and we were impressed by performance in both.

For music, the PLAYBAR offers much of the experience we’re familiar with from the PLAY:3 and PLAY:5, only with added grunt. The natural balance of treble and bass are very similar to those of the smaller PLAY units, which helps it slot neatly into a multi-speaker system, but there’s a healthy bump in power that meant the PLAYBAR could easily match a PLAY:3 set to roughly half volume, while the bar was dawdling down at less than 25-percent.

Midrange sounds have the warmth and breadth that we’re used to from the company’s kit, while trebles have an eager sparkle that makes vocal tracks shine. Complex instrumentals didn’t get lost, with the PLAYBAR’s dynamic EQ automatically keeping things spread across the bar in a way belies the all-in-one nature of the system. Even at high volume levels, there was no buzzing or rattling from the PLAYBAR itself, and there’s a welcome absence of distortion even up to neighbor-infuriating levels.

If there’s any criticism to be made, it’s one that most speaker-bars share: bass tends to come in third compared to treble and mids. That’s definitely not to say the PLAYBAR disappoints in the low-end – it’s tight and aggressive, and probably more than sufficient if you’re living in an apartment – but those looking for the full audio experience will probably be tempted to throw in a SUB, whereupon they’ll find great lashings of bass that manages both precision and exuberance.

It’s movies where that could be most useful, though the PLAYBAR does very well on its own for TV sound. The stereo separation and the 45-degree angle of the speakers means left and right audio is clearly distinguished, the PLAYBAR using a combination of positioning and EQ to bounce audio from the walls. In fact, the onboard computer is crunching 24m calculations a second, Sonos says, to figure out how each sound wave created by each of the nine cones interacts, adding and subtracting those waves to emphasize explosions, make musical soundtracks more enveloping, and allow speech to pierce through everything.

Throw in a couple of rear PLAY:3 speakers, meanwhile, and the experience is all the more impressive. The PLAYBAR is tremendously capable, turning its hand to a variety of movie styles. The rumbles and ominous groans of Prometheus were rich and hauntingly sonorous, while The Dark Knight and Transformers put the surround system through its paces and showed how precise the rear set could be. We noticed no issues with lag or delay.

All that DSP means Sonos can add a couple of new features you wouldn’t normally get on a PLAY speaker: Night Sound and Speech Enhancement. Toggled on or off through new buttons in the “Now Playing” section of the controller app, Night Sound aims to make the PLAYBAR more accommodating to those who like to watch movies while everyone else is asleep. In short, it compresses the audio, dampening louder sounds like explosions and gunfire, and enhancing quieter sounds like speech, so that all can be heard without forcing you to hover over the volume control like a hawk.

It works surprisingly well, though you’ll obviously miss out on some of the original zeal of the soundtrack. As for Speech Enhancement, that operates in a similar way, though leaves the louder sounds untouched. Instead, it simply emphasizes the frequency range of the human voice, lifting speech out of the rest of the audio.

Since it’s a Sonos system, there are some less obvious, but no less neat, things you can do. By grouping the PLAYBAR with one or more other PLAY speakers, for instance, you can pipe your TV’s audio around the home: useful if you want to keep an ear on the news or a concert you’ve been watching. Alternatively, you could start a slideshow on the TV, and accompany it with a playlist of Sonos-streamed audio, whether from your own collection, from internet radio stations, or from on-demand services like Spotify and Pandora.

Wrap-Up

Sonos took its time creating the PLAYBAR, and that consideration shows both in how it sounds and how easy it is to setup and use. Certainly, at $699/£599/€699 it’s expensive when compared to a regular speaker-bar. You can find those for a couple of hundred, after all, though their audio performance may not match up to the PLAYBAR’s beautifully balanced sound. Still, you’re not just getting one product, but two: a speaker-bar for your TV and another zone in your Sonos system, certainly more than equivalent to a $399 PLAY:5.

The magic of the PLAYBAR is how straightforward it is, and how few compromises it demands. You don’t need to be familiar with Sonos to actually use it: in fact, once you’ve set it up, you could feasibly never turn on the Sonos app again, and merely use your regular TV remote. The only messages in the app are concerned with pairing the PLAYBAR back in with music groups; TV playback takes priority. That makes it highly family-friendly, essential if you don’t want a less-technical partner to get frustrated.

Still, our own experience with Sonos is that its simplicity means that even the most gadget-averse soon come to recognize its charms, and the PLAYBAR has that appeal in spades. The audio performance for both music and movies is excellent, and even if you don’t pair it up with rear PLAY:3 speakers and a SUB (which can certainly get expensive, at nearly $2k to outfit a room with the whole set) you’re still getting excellent sound. Superlative performance, ease of use, and multi-room flexibility? Even at $699 it’s enough to make us fall in love with the Sonos PLAYBAR.

The result of all this will be an overall better experience for consumers, who will enjoy simpler operation, as well as a better security, more functionality, and longer battery life. Channels can now be encrypted between multiple devices, signal acquisition and data transport speeds have both been improved. Both event buffering and event filtering have resulted in overall reduced system power.

As part of the ANT+ “experience,” several improvements have been implemented, such as a quicker connection to computers and mobile devices. The power used between displays and sensors has been polished to provide better balance and less power usage, resulting in longer battery life. Downloads and data access are both hailed as thrice faster than previously, eliminating wait time.

According to ANT’s President Rod Morris, “Our fundamental goal is to always deliver ANT products that are forward-focused and future proof so that manufacturers can continually build upon what they do. “Because we deliver technology that works easily, consumers receive the very best available devices and can draw from an incredibly diverse and established ecosystem.”

[via This is ANT]

The hockey puck wireless charger, dubbed the WCP-300, charges up Qi-compatible devices, like LG’s own Nexus 4, Spectrum 2, and Optimus G Pro, and it sits at just 6.9cm in diameter. The back plugs into a traditional microUSB port in order to feed juice to devices wirelessly. However, only the Spectrum 2 and the Nexus 4 support the wireless charger in the US.

Of course, though, LG will be releasing more smartphones in the future with Qi wireless charging functionality, and the company hopes that more smartphones will jump on board with the wireless charging protocol as well. After all, the wireless charger doesn’t do much good if you don’t have a phone that supports it.

LG will be releasing the wireless charger in South Korea this week at a price of 65,000 won (around $60). However, the company expects to roll out the accessory worldwide over time, so it’ll arrive in the US at some point this year we’re hoping. Plus, $60 isn’t too bad of a price for the world’s smallest wireless charger, so hopefully LG keeps it that way when it eventually comes to the US.

The money will be split amongst several different research projects that will address the architecture and functionality of the new wireless technology, and about 16 million euros ($20.9 million) of the money will be given to METIS, which is an alliance led by Ericsson that is hoping to develop wireless technology with an increase in speed and lower lag.

Overall, the European Commission notes that it has invested over 700 million euros ($915 million) from 2007 to 2013 for research on future networking technologies, half of which went to researching wireless networking technologies specifically. Almost one billion dollars in investments is quite a bit, but it shows that Europe is serious about mobile.

As far as 5G itself is concerned, the technology isn’t official just yet, and it’s not specified in any official documents, but somewhere down the line, the technology will closer to being a reality, and we should be hearing more about it in the next few years. In the meantime, carriers are still working on getting 4G LTE access to everyone in the US.

[via The Next Web]

The LG Pocket Photo is 4.76 x 2.83 x 0.94 inches in size and will be taking some little packets of photo paper – special fancy photo paper, mind you – that you’ll be able to purchase individually. The final result is not unlike what you’d create with an instant Polaroid camera, with an image rather true to what you had on the screen. And it’s just so cute!

It’s not entirely clear at the moment if you’ll need to be using an LG smartphone or not with this device at the moment, and you are able to work with Bluetooth as well as NFC, but one thing is for sure: you will need the Pocket Photo app. Which doesn’t do anything for you if you’ve not got the printer, of course. The app is also able to do some basic photo editing and generate QR codes that you’ll subsequently be able to print as well.

Note: we started the process here with the LG Optimus G Pro, then found it easier to just transfer the photo we had to the LG Optimus G units they had on display because they’d already had the Pocket Photo app installed. The resulting photo looks fabulous even though it’d been taken with one device, transferred to the other, then printed wirelessly with an instant process.

The printing process this machine uses is Zink – that’s Zero Ink paper technology. The process is a combination of efforts between the LG Pocket Photo and the paper itself, the paper having a layer of dye crystals that change color according to heat generated by the device. The resulting photo is ever-so-slightly warm when you receive it and doesn’t have any ink to smear – it’s instantly ready to be touched, if you like.

This device will be coming to greater Europe in April and will be costing you right around 130 Euro MSRP. At the moment there don’t seem to be any solid final price or release dates released for the device – we’re hoping soon as well!

Have a peek at the Mobile World Congress 2013 tag portal to see more up to the minute news blasts from Barcelona as well as more hands-on action than you can handle!

The HomeSync box itself is the size of a couple of stacked DVD cases, finished in metallic-effect plastic, and with nothing on the front bar an LED indicator. On the back, meanwhile, there’s a microUSB port, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI output, and an S/PDIF digital audio output, along with an ethernet port. Inside there’s a 1.7GHz dualcore processor, together with a 1TB hard-drive, 8GB of space for apps the like, 2GB of RAM, and WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz) plus Bluetooth 4.0.

That hard-drive is used for local storage, including offloading content from your phone or tablet, though as you’d imaging the HomeSync is also set up to stream from the cloud. It integrates with the AllShare app on Samsung mobile devices, too, for one-touch streaming, though we had a little trouble getting a Galaxy Note II to push photos and video directly to the connected TV.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is running under the hood, with a customized UI to suit the living room environment. An app on your Samsung phone turns it into a wireless keyboard and remote – the display can either be used as a traditional trackpad, or you can physically wave the phone around to move the on-screen mouse cursor – with NFC used to easily pair handset to STB.

From then, you can use screen mirroring, push Full HD content wirelessly through the HomeSync box to your TV, or use local software such as the gallery, video player, and YouTube player. Samsung tells us that you should be able to install any app in the Google Play store too, including Netflix, though we weren’t able to test that since the Netflix app itself wasn’t offered in the regional store the demo hardware was set to.

Up to eight individual user accounts will be supported, each with its own locked-down section of the 1TB drive. Those hunting more local storage will be able to use the USB 3.0 ports to add external drives.

Samsung says the HomeSync will hit the US in April, though is yet to confirm pricing.

The benefits of the Wireless Dock are obvious. Instead of pulling out a bundle of cables and plugging them in one-by-one, only to be left working around them and trying not to knock anything loose in the process, users can wirelessly connect to devices and leave the cords behind. Because the dock uses WiGig technology, the transfer between the connected devices will have two benefits.

The first benefit, obviously, is that data transfer is faster. Transferring a large file wirelessly, such as a full HD video, will be faster than it otherwise would be by using the standard Wi-Fi network. In addition, the data load is not a burden on the wireless network, chewing up bandwidth and slowing things down for other users.

WiGig has a relatively short range of about 15 meters. The dock offers four USB 3.0 ports, as well as an Ethernet port, HDMI, and Audio In/Out. For those who don’t have HDMI, there’s also an adapter available for VGA devices. The Wireless Dock is now available globally from Dell.com, and is priced at $249USD in the States.

[via Dell]

The Wireless Ultra HD Transmission technology works by compressing video for optimized wireless transfer to a corresponding Ultra HD TV, with LG promising very little data loss and lag between the two devices. In order to avoid wonky graphics, the video that is being transferred from the mobile device is automatically set to match the TV’s resolution.

LG’s President and CEO Jong-seok Park had this to say: “Thanks to our innovative Wireless Ultra HD Transmission technology, users can now enjoy their favorite mobile content on today’s most advanced Ultra HD TVs. With the development of this cutting-edge technology, LG again confirms its industry leadership in the area of display and mobile convergence for a truly enjoyable viewing experience.”

In addition, the technology is reported as using up less than 50-percent of the power used by competing technologies. Because of this, the transfer process is easier on the smartphone’s processor and associated hardware. Those who attend MWC 2013 will be able to check out this process is action at LG’s booth in Hall #3.

[via LG Newsroom]

Speaking this week on the topic of Vertical Disruption in the mobile industry, Jacobs made it clear that “disruption” was too negative to be comfortable to go forth with. Instead it was Mobile Enablement that Jacobs decided to focus on. Qualcomm’s vision of a Digital 6th Sense was re-outlined as a user interface for the world – for the things in your life that don’t otherwise have one.

With this Digital 6th Sense comes the new concept Qualcomm first spoke about earlier today – The Internet of Everything. The AllJoyn collection of connectivity technology – an update for which was also announced today – is at the heart of Qualcomm’s push for a connected world. For the world where an Internet of Everything is made real.

As far as disruption goes, Jacobs reminded the audience that smartphone shipments were twice the number of PC shipments through 2012 (according to a Gartner study published earlier this month). It’s through this wireless world that we connect – this is Qualcomm’s message.

Both healthcare and education were spoken about as two of the most important areas for innovation that Qualcomm is working with. The technology for the enablement of services created by the open source community to boost the abilities of educators, students, doctors, and everyday citizens – all comes through AllJoyn through the future.

Stay tuned the rest of this week in our fabulous Mobile World Congress 2013 tag portal for more information on Qualcomm and the rest of the wireless universe from across the planet. You’ll find more up to the minute news action and hands-on experiences than you can throw a stick at!

Currently Qi’s wireless charging technology is available in over 15 million devices out there, and only those devices will be able to take advantage of McDonald’s new tables. However, PowerKiss sells an accessory called the PowerKiss Ring that plugs into any phone and makes it ready for wireless charging.

Eric Burgeois, Senior Director of ERDDS (European Restaurant Development and Design Studio) for McDonald’s Europe, said that its “always important for us to create premium value for our mobile customers”, which is why they implemented the PowerKiss wireless charging technology in its restaurants. PowerKiss CEO Mats Wolontis stated that implementing wireless charging in McDonald’s tables will appeal to all customer demographics, from teens to families to business people.

Currently, McDonald’s is only testing PowerKiss’s wireless technology in select restaurants in Europe, but the fast food chain plans on expanding the technology to various other countries in the future. Hopefully we’ll see these new tables hit the U.S. sometime soon, and it may bring a whole new change to the restaurant scenery in the future.

[via PowerKiss]

Before we get to the details in the WR-1 Transceiver though, we’ve got to once again take you on a trip to D7100 town. This fabulous new unit is bringing on a collection of upgrades over the D7000 it replaces, including a new “I” button that’ll bring up a set of on-screen controls that changes depending on which you use most frequently. You’ve also got a beast of a set of internals including a 51-point AF system as well as Nikon’s own 3D Color Matrix Metering II 2016 pixel RGB sensor – and Scene Recognition System.

With this camera’s optical viewfinder you’ve got guaranteed 100% frame coverage – and you’ll be working with a brand new OLED display as well. With the Nikon D7100 you’ve got the ability to record video at 1080/30p or 60i/50i – the latter working at 1.3x Crop Mode. You can also shoot photos at up to 7 frames per second in that same 1.3 Crop Mode or 6fps at full resolution.

You can also shoot in 1.3 DX crop mode with this camera for both still photos and video, this allowing that 7fps mentioned with enhanced AF system frame coverage. You’ll be working with an ISO range of 100-6400 (with expandability up to Hi-2 of 25,600) for all the low-light shooting you can handle. While you’re in live view you’ve also got a new Spot White Balance feature that’ll whip you up some instant (and precise) white balance adjustments on the spot.

The Nikon D7100 works with an Enhanced Interface on its 3.2-inch High Resolution 1229k dot LCD, bright and powerful for your everyday previews. If on the other hand you’re the wireless type, this system is compatible with the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter for connectivity with your smartphone or tablet – control from afar!

Then there’s the wireless dongle you’re just going to go nuts over. This is the new WR-1 Transceiver – announced this week with compatibility with the most recent range of Nikon D-SLR cameras. This beast will bring you 2.4GHz radio frequency for range up to 394 feet with 15 channels onboard.

The WR-1 can be used as a transmitter or a receiver – grab a couple and you can control your camera from a stone’s throw away like a pro! You can also control a set of cameras at once with this device (just so long as there’s one plugged in to each of them) for simultaneous or synchronized shutter releases – that’s a snap party if we’ve ever heard of one! The WR-1 Transceiver will run you $59.95 SRP and is available right this minute.

The Nikon D7100 system will be available starting in March of 2013 at a camera retailer near you. You’ll be seeing the D7100 for $1199.95 SRP for the body only configuration while a package that includes the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens will run you $1599.95 SRP. Stack your cash and get ready for it!

These RF chips also feature numerous industry firsts, including the first envelope power tracker for smartphones, as well as “a dynamic antenna matching tuner, an integrated power amplifier-antenna switch, and a 3D-RF packaging solution incorporating key front end components.” Essentially, these chips reduce power consumption and improve RF performance, while also reducing the size of the RF chips by up to 50% compared to current offerings, allowing for thinner devices.

The envelope power tracker inside the chip is designed to reduce power consumption by up to 30% and dissipate heat a lot better than previous-generation chips. The dynamic antenna matching tuner extends antenna range to operate over more frequency bands and spectrums, and the integrated power amp and antenna switch also has a smaller hardware footprint, and is the first of its kind to implement the power amp and antenna switch in one chip, allowing phone makers to develop thinner devices.

As for when we should expect new devices packing this new technology, Qualcomm says that devices featuring the complete Qualcomm RF360 Solution are expected to be launched sometime in the second half of this year. Of course, we’ll be at Mobile World Congress in just a few days, where we may hear more from Qualcomm at that time. Stay tuned.

[via Android Community]

Earlier today, the FCC approved an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking), to look at opening up parts of the 5GHz spectrum to unlicensed use; presently, it is reserved for government and similar use. Specifically, the agency is looking at opening up 195MHz of the 5GHz, increasing the unlicensed access to the spectrum by 35-percent.

Said the FCC’s Chairman Julius Genachowski: “Wi-Fi congestion is a very real and growing problem. Like licensed spectrum, demand for unlicensed spectrum threatens to outpace supply.” Wi-Fi congestion is particularly high as cellular carriers unload some of their tasks onto wireless networks, in addition to the growing number of mobile users and the increasing demand for data and speeds.

In addition to this issue, the FCC also approved earlier today a measure to set rules concerning signal boosters. The rules give carriers, which have complained that signal boosters can cause interference, the ability to block use of certain boosters, as well as requiring consumers to register their boosters before using them.

[via PC World]

Republic Wireless has some great news for many of its potential customers. The mobile service company knows that the $249 price-point for the Motorola Defy XT is a bit high, especially for a phone of its caliber, so it’s now offering the device for only $99. There’s one caveat however. If you purchase the phone for the $99 price-point, you’ll have to pay $29 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data, which in the long run will cost a lot more.

The Motorola Defy XT is a less-than-stellar smartphone. It features a 3.7-inch LCD display, 1GHz single-core Snapdragon S1 processor, 1GB built-in storage, 512MB RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera, 0.3MP front-facing camera, and Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread. It’s not very appealing, especially to tech fanatics. The phone is of course popular to people who want a super-cheap wireless service plan and could care less about the specs of their smartphone. As long as it works, everything’s fine.

Republic Wireless says that over a course of two years, a family of 3 can save $2,715 over 2 years on its $19 a month plan. They also say that with the $29 a month plan, the same family can still save up to $2,445. They compare it to the $195 a month plans offered by “leading brand” competitors, which ultimately costs the family a total of $4,830.

PlayStation 4: a whole new machine

The next-generation console from Sony is being tipped to be a lot of different things, so before you jump in here, know this: the lot of these tips are rumors. Unless it’s written here specifically that we’ve got confirmation of anything, you’ll want to follow the link back to the post where we first encounter each bit of information. Take everything here with a salt block. Also remember that Sony has promised commitment to the PlayStation 3 through the year 2015.

With Microsoft’s own Xbox 720 hot on its heels, Sony will likely set a release date for sometime inside November. There you’ll find a remote control for TV-related content and a new set of wireless controllers as well. You can also expect pricing on the PlayStation 3 to be slashed almost immediately after the announcement of the PlayStation 4 as well as surprisingly low prices coming with the PS4 itself.

Concept PS4 via Yanko Design (designer: Joseph Dumary)

We’ve seen more than one PlayStation 4 controller leak with a rather similar-looking overall body to the classic PlayStation controller design. The big differences will be in touchpad controls not unlike what we’re using currently on the PS Vita which, also, has seen some price slashes as of late. This touchpad tip has come more than once.

Transparent PlayStation 4 concept via Tia Chiem

Also take note that the PlayStation 2 is now no longer being manufactured. The code-name for the PlayStation 4 has been tipped as “Orbis” several times over the past few months and has been suggested to be working with an AMD processor. We’ve also seen a rather unbelievable tip for a Sony PlayStation EyePad for 3D control of the PlayStation 4 – not to mention the Dual-Shock/Move hybrid that, once you see, you’ll never be able to un-see.

Software Features

You’ll be seeing some backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 4 that’s entirely virtualized. In this case that means that you’ll be able to play PlayStation 3 games and legacy games galore, but they’ll all be downloaded from the cloud in one way or another. You can expect Gaikai technology to be in full effect for streaming content as Sony picked them up last year. PlayStation Home Arcade should give you some more clues on this futuristic universe – sort of like a microcosm.

The Sony Entertainment Network Online Store has been ramping up with games, movies, and more and will certainly be re-addressed at the event tonight. The PayPal bump for the PlayStation Store earlier this year also points toward larger anywhere-purchase strategies for Sony. There’s also a rumor of a Sony online TV service launching soon.

The one-owner-only rumor for games on the PlayStation 4 rages on – that one’s still a toss-up, mind you – see the discussion on this in the “Opinions” section below.

Games

You will be seeing Destiny on the PlayStation 4 after it hits the PlayStation 3. That’s all but confirmed by everyone and their mother now that a legal document was made public surrounding a case that involved Destiny content and the companies that will work with it. Have a peek at this Destiny trailer and freak out about it!

One game you can expect will not be optimized for PlayStation 4 is Grand Theft Auto V – its creators have specifically addressed the idea that they’re waiting for the PS4 release and have said no way! You can expect The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt though in all its REDengine3 glory.

Opinions

We’ve got a few opinions you should have a peek at before continuing on to the real deal as well, starting with Why Motion Gaming Should Be Left Out of the PlayStation 4 and continuing on with Why the Used Game Model Needs Fixing (But Not Banning). You should also read the column called PlayStation 4: What Sony Must Do for some pre-event anticipatory action and discussion – the chat rages on!

Event Time

The event starts at 6PM Eastern Time – that’s New York City time, if you did not know. If you’re living in Minnesota like your humble narrator, you’ll be tuning in at 5PM (CST), and if you’re in England, you’ll be tuning in at 11PM. Over in California you’ll be seeing this event at 3PM (PST). We’ll have the whole lot of announcements ready to rock as they pop up straight from Sony right here on SlashGear – don’t miss it!

According to Doug Chartier, senior VP of GoSmart, around 80 million U.S. consumers purchase prepaid wireless phone service instead of signing two-year contracts. The prepaid market is growing around 8% each year. T-Mobile has been testing its new prepaid service in 9 markets since December, and in only two months, “tens of thousands” of customers have signed up.

If you want the highest data speeds allotted by T-Mobile, you can also purchase their own offering of prepaid plans. At $30 a month, you can get 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 5GB of high-speed 4G data. For $60, you get unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of 4G data, and for $70 a month you get unlimited talk, text, and 4G data with no cap. With T-Mobile’s $70 plan, you can Netflix as many movies, stream as much Pandora, and Skype call as many people as you want with no worries.

The world of prepaid wireless service is becoming more and more appealing to consumers. With companies like Virgin Mobile USA and Straight Talk who offer extremely cheap wireless service plans, it’s more tempting to sign up with them than pay $100+ a month for AT&T or Verizon Wireless’s service. Also with companies like GoSmart, T-Mobile, and Straight Talk offering customers the option to bring their own device, it’d be much cheaper to just purchase a device off eBay, Amazon, or Swappa, and use it on their network. Are you on a prepaid plan?

The entire package comes with the base, three speakers, AC power cord, and a 3.5mm audio cable — all of which costs $299. The speakers themselves are cubes that measure six inches all the way around, and the base for which they sit upon is about an inch tall and a foot-and-a-half long. These definitely don’t take up a lot of space, so if you’re looking for a set of compact speakers, these can definitely be in the running.

Setup is fairly straightforward and it involves simply just turning everything on, pairing the speaker base with your Bluetooth-enabled device, and you’re off to the races. Turning on the base will make it discoverable over Bluetooth, and then each speaker has its own power that you can toggle for each, so if you don’t happen to need all three speakers, you can just turn on one or two and use those, leaving the third one charging on the base if you want.

Turning on each of the speakers will reveal a soft LED glow underneath the speakers around the outer edge. This is an amazing design feature that we really dig, and it gives the system a little added personality when you’re blasting your tunes. Unfortunately, when the speakers are turned on, there’s a faint humming noise that comes from each speaker. You don’t hear it at all when you have music playing, but if you pause the music, and you’re in a quiet house, you’ll be able to hear the buzzing from a bit of distance.

The Bluetooth range is about 25 feet according to Bem, so you’ll be fine if you’re in the same room as the base, but you definitely won’t be able to have control from across the house. In my 800 square foot apartment, I was able to control it from anywhere in the living room, but once I started to make my way back to the bedroom, it started to cut out at random points. Having the base placed in the middle of the apartment definitely helped with that, but if you have a bigger living space, you’ll want to think about placement and where you’ll use it the most. On the other hand, the speakers have a huge range, with a 120-foot max distance from the base. Anywhere I set the speakers, they were all able to pick up a signal. I had one in the bedroom, kitchen, and the living room — great for doing chores all around the house without having my music fade in and out.

Of course, if you don’t want to use Bluetooth, you can use the included 3.5mm audio cable and plug directly into the base. This will save on your device’s battery life, as well as increase the quality of the audio a bit, since you’re going through a hard wired connection There’s also an auxiliary-out port for effectively turning another pair of speakers that you have lying around into Bluetooth speakers, although you’ll have to keep the base nearby since that’s what you’re plugging into, but it’s a great way to turn some high-powered speakers into wireless speakers with Bem’s Speaker Trio base.

As for speaker quality, the Speaker Trio won’t replace your dedicated stereo system (if you even have one). First off, the speakers aren’t that big, so you won’t get that punchy bass that we know you love. Plus the music is being sent over Bluetooth, which will degrade the quality of the audio before it even gets to the speakers. Nonetheless, the audio doesn’t sound distorted, and if you’re not a hardcore audiophile, the speakers don’t sound too bad, frankly. They certainly beat using your laptop or mobile device speakers for sure.

Bem claims that each speaker gets around 6 hours of battery life, which should be enough to get through an average house party, unless you party really hard, in which case you probably have a high-wattage boombox anyway. I was able to go several hours without a problem. In fact, my laptop’s battery was getting low long before the speakers started to show signs of weakness.

In the end, there are a lot of great uses for the Speaker Trio. You can place them all around your house so that your music is with you wherever you are, or you could use them if you’re wanting to watch a movie or play some games on your tablet — just keep the three speakers nearby and you’ll be immersed in surround sound (although the Speaker Trio doesn’t support actual surround sound, but rather you’ll be surrounded with sound). These speakers are versatile, and even though they may not have the punchiest bass, they’re way better sounding than any laptop or mobile device speaker. However, is the $299 price tag too much for these? That really depends on how often you’ll use them. If you plan on using them every day for most of your audio needs, then laying down three benjamins might be worth it to you, but if you only plan on maybe using them for parties or just as a convenience factor at certain times, we’re not sure if $300 can be warranted here.

The cordless phone system is called the FreeStyl 2 Extreme-Range Cordless Phone. It looks like any other cordless phone on the outside, but inside the system has technology allowing for reliable telephone and intercom communications indoors in spaces up to 25,000 ft.². The company says that the system has enough range to cover six different floors.

If used outdoors, the phone system will span 10 acres. The phone system also supports up to nine handsets and can operate as a stand-alone system or as a long-range cordless analog extension to an existing PBX phone system. That means the system will be easy to integrate into your typical enterprise communications system.

Each handset has its own speaker and integrated two-way intercom and supports simultaneous broadcast to multiple handsets from any handset. The phone system has a one-year warranty and is available for $259.99. Add-on handsets are available to purchase as well.

[via EnGenius Tech]

Both the Chevrolet Sonic and Spark allow their MyLink system to attach itself to your iPhone via Bluetooth. From there you’re using your steering wheel voice activation button to notify Siri you’d like to make a command. This button is a toggle switch, meaning you can press once to start a session with Siri, then press again to stop your chat.

With this connection, you’ll be able to access your phone’s calendar and make appointments on the fly, make voice calls, access your contacts, and play music. You’re able to instantly switch sources for your music between AM/FM/XM radio to iPod mode for music from your iTunes library. All of this is done while the display of your phone is kept in sleep mode automatically so you’re not distracted by it constantly flickering on and off when you chat – makes sense!

For those of you that own a 2013 Chevrolet Spark or a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic already, you’ll be able to upgrade your MyLink radio for Siri integration starting in March. All vehicle purchases made after this point will have the upgrade right out of the box. If you’d like to connect to MyLink with your iPad, you can do so, but you do need an internet connection if you’d like to use Siri – keep that in mind!

[via Chevrolet]

This call to action (or call to stop action, as it were), comes after FCC Chairman Julius Genachoski spoke up at CES 2013 about cracking open unlicensed spectrum for a speed boost in wireless internet across the USA. It was then that Genachowski let it be known that this move would “free up a substantial amount of spectrum for wifi to relieve wifi congestion and improve wifi speeds” across the country – conferences, airports, and homes included.

Image above via SlashGear Chevrolet Sonic post about Siri integration and other wireless-related technologies therein. Slightly different from what the future holds with car-to-car communications.

The FCC’s plan includes a clearing of 195 MHz of spectrum in the 5GHz band to be used by wifi networks exclusively. The ITSA has spoken up this week with a note that their future plans for a highly secure wireless technology connecting network-ready cars could be interfered with by the FCC’s new move. This technology would allow cars to get information about their speed, acceleration, breaking, trajectories, and destinations to allow them better knowledge on how they’ll be getting where they’re going.

Instead of asking that this wifi expansion be stopped before its started, the auto group has asked that the FCC put safeguards in place to guarantee their future networks would not be hindered in any way. If the two sets of wireless technology did cross over in one way or another, the auto industry would be on the short end of the stick. Any sign of safety being at risk in vehicles using this up and coming short-range technology would be a big boon for the whole collection of auto makers hoping to make usage widespread.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is made up of members such as Chrysler, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz – not to mention AAA. This should be an interesting battle (or kind, gentle, measured talk between friends) that you’ll want to follow!

[via GigaOM]

To get wireless syncing up and running, all you need to do is tick the “Background Sync” option in Settings. From there, you’ll no longer need your computer to sync, which is something that many developers are moving towards as we slowly transition to being a post-PC world. The improved Bluetooth support is also said to cut down on battery life a bit, something that is certainly always welcome.

Aside from the wireless syncing, the update also comes with push notifications, as well as a new distance meter on the dashboard. You now also have the ability to create and edit silent alarms. It seems like the update is a good one for Fitbit users, but again, you’ll have to have a Galaxy S III or Note II in order to update.

As for other Android device owners, we’re not sure when Fitbit will begin to support more devices with this new update, but they say that further compatibility will be “available shortly.” In the meantime, Start saying goodbye to the old ways of syncing, because soon you won’t need your computer for it any longer.

[via Android Community]

The company’s reluctance to extend itself beyond musical speakers has been down to a fear of losing focus: the audience is still dedicated music lovers, Sonos says, but concedes that many in that audience also love films. Meanwhile, while display technology has advanced hugely, skinny flat-panel TV sets have squeezed speakers into something of an afterthought, thus opening the door to hardware like the PLAYBAR.

All-in-one speakers aren’t new, of course, but PLAYBAR does some things differently. That starts with setup: there’s wireless onboard, for the easiest way of connecting, but you also get a pair of ethernet ports on the back for wired networks (and for passing the connection through, say, to your smart TV, or being the first node hard-wired to your router for an overall Sonos installation). Otherwise there’s just power and an optical digital input – no HDMI, since Sonos expects the TV to remain the “brains” in charge of switching and managing media – along with the usual three physical buttons for mute and volume up/down which are on one end of the bar.

When you first set up, the PLAYBAR can learn the volume buttons on your favorite remote (whether that be for your TV, your Blu-ray player, or your set-top box). Out of the box there’s presets for the popular brands/models – most users will just have to press the volume-up key for the PLAYBAR to recognize it – but there’s also a nine-key-press learning mode for new sets. Cleverly, Sonos collects up those programming settings and updates them across all PLAYBAR units, meaning the next user with the same remote won’t have to go through the teaching process. On the back of the soundbar there’s a broad IR repeater strip, just in case placing the PLAYBAR in front of your TV blocks its IR receiver, and there are two IR windows on the Sonos itself, catering for table or wall mounting.

Back when the PLAYBAR was first spotted sneaking through the FCC, there was speculation as to what its dual wireless chipsets might be used for. As the company explained to us, it’s all down to latency – or the avoidance of it – in surround sound mode. The PLAYBAR has one regular WiFi chip to hook up to the network as per all Sonos speakers, but also has a second, ultra-low-latency chip which is used to maintain up to three perfectly-synchronized channels in a surround setup, feeding two PLAY:3 rear speakers and a SUB subwoofer.

As for the speakers inside the PLAYBAR itself, there are six mid-woofers and three tweeters, the latter spread across the outer edges and one in the middle. At normal volumes, the woofers are synchronized, but they can automatically shift out of phase if required – complete with some clever DSP – to avoid distortion when you crank up the audio. Sonos has also equipped the PLAYBAR with completely different settings for music and movies (in fact they automatically change depending on physical orientation, too).

Most importantly, in either mode, it sounds great. Music has a surprising degree of precision, with vocals coming through clearly in the center while the rest of the soundstage has a spread that belies the placing of the speakers. Movies, meanwhile, go even further: the virtual surround you get with the PLAYBAR alone is impressively effective, and the bass has some decent thump to it (given the limitations of the 36 x 5.5 x 3.4 inch footprint and the speakers Sonos has been able to fit), but group it up with a couple of PLAY:3 rear channels and the SUB, and it’s both incredibly loud and precise.

Sonos PLAYBAR overvew video:

Control, as you’d expect, is via Sonos’ existing PC, Mac, iOS, and Android apps: the PLAYBAR shows up as a regular zone, which means you can group it up for party music. However, there’s a little extra consideration for the TV focus there too; if you try to add the PLAYBAR to a group, it’ll double-check to make entirely sure you want to do that, and if you start playback on your TV, the soundbar will automatically switch to whatever is coming through its optical input. You can, though, manually change the audio while leaving the screen on, handy if you want to show a photo slideshow with music from, say Spotify.

The Sonos PLAYBAR will go on sale on March 5, priced at $699 in the US, £599 in the UK, and €699 in Europe.

According to the Washington Post, the FCC is thinking about buying back spectrum from TV stations that would allow for “super WiFi,” that would blanket the country with wide-ranging, highly-penetrative networks. While ISPs are furious about the proposition, the large tech companies like Google and Microsoft are all for the idea.

This free WiFi network would work similarly to how cellular networks work now. You would have constant connection to the internet no matter where you were, and while you can easily achieve this through LTE, that obviously costs quite a bit per month, while this new WiFi network would be absolutely free, and potentially faster than LTE.

Pretty much all wireless providers, including handset manufacturers, and those invested in the mobile phone industry are not liking the idea one bit, and they don’t want their lucrative business interrupted. However, Google and Microsoft both said that increased internet access means more potential users, and it would open up to a massive boom in innovation if more people could access the internet anywhere.

It’s not said exactly when the free nationwide WiFi could be set up. It would have to get approval first, and even after that’s done, it would take several years for the network to be completely built. So, while it may come in the future, don’t expect it anytime soon.

[via The Washington Post]

Those on Vodafone, EE – or its Orange or T-Mobile UK brands – or Virgin Media will all be able to get online free, having inked wholesale access agreements to the WiFi network back in November 2012. Those on O2 and 3, however, will have to pay, as will those users wanting to connect with their WiFi-only tablets, notebooks, portable games consoles, and other devices.

Three tariff options are available, varying in price and length of access. Daily plans are £2 ($3) while a week’s access is £5 ($8); finally, a month’s access to the WiFi network is £15 ($24). Virgin Media says that those opting for the full monthly package in February will get three months access for the price of one.

Eleven new locations have been lit up today, and Virgin Media is apparently on track for 120 stations to be connected by the time March 2013 is through. You can find details on all the WiFi stations here, as well as price plan information. Those logging on without a plan will have access to up-to-date Tube timetables and service status.

For Apple device users, the new iOS functionality means that the Libratone Zipp’s PlayDirect technology – the device-to-device streaming we tested in our Zipp review - now works with the Live and Lounge speakers launched back in 2011. Enabled through a new app for iPhone and iPad, the new support means iOS devices can funnel music directly to the older speakers rather than requiring a WiFi network.

A Libratone Android app is also in the pipeline, expected to hit the Play store sometime in February. Libratone isn’t saying exactly what it will do, but we’d expect the same sort of functionality as iOS users get, such as tweaking equalizer settings along with the virtual surround sound features.

Finally, there’s some price trimming for Live and Lounge units, with the former down to £449.95 and the latter down to £1,099; new US pricing is yet to be confirmed. You can download the updated Libratone app for iOS here [iTunes link].

While the P910 might look like a typical speaker system, the company assures us that it’s not. SOUL claims that the PIAB P910 is the first speaker to sport different functions that’s rolled into one package — it’s an indoor/outdoor portable sound system with Bluetooth, auxiliary input, an Apple dock, and HDMI.

The box has eight omnidirectional speakers, including two 6.5-inch subwoofers, two 3-inch midrange speakers, and four 1-inch tweeters. Furthermore, the box has a built-in Tri-Band two-way transceiver that allows syncing between up to eight other speakers either through Bluetooth or the 3.5mm auxiliary input.

Essentially, the PIAB P910 can act as a boombox, a PA system, or even a Karaoke machine thanks to its microphone input. Of course, though, versatility and excellent sound quality will cost you big time — SOUL is selling the PIAB P910 for $999 on their website, but if you’ve been looking for a portable, multi-functional speaker system, it may very well be worth the cash.

Essentially, the three speakers are meant to be placed in different rooms, that way users can blast their beats to multiple rooms at once, whether it’d be for a party or if you’re just running around the house doing chores. The three speakers come with a base, which emits a wireless signal to the three speakers, and users can control the speakers with their smartphone or any other Bluetooth-equipped device.

What’s perhaps even more impressive, is that each speaker has a 120-foot wireless range, or a little over a third of a football field. This provides plenty of options as far as speaker locations are concerned, and on a full charge, you can get six hours of music playback time from the speakers. To charge the speakers, all you have to do is return the speakers to the base, which has three metal contacts, one for each speaker.

The speaker set sports a sleek and modern design, and each speaker measures 6 inches x 6 inches, making them easy to move without hassle. The bottom of each speaker will also glow (as pictured above) to indicate different statuses to users, such as when the speakers are ready for use, and when they’re charging. You can buy these in either black or white, and they’re priced at $299 on Bem’s website.