cellphone
Latest
Google search 'Find My Phone' to locate your missing Android
Google's making it even easier to track down your misplaced mobile device. While Android Device Manager already exists to help find lost phones and tablets, just getting to your account's ADM menu often requires a search of its own. But Find My Phone is as simple as a web query. In fact, that's literally what you're doing. Simply open a Google omnibox and type "find my phone" to display a map that reveals the phone's current resting place. If the device is nearby, you can also opt to ring your cell. Unfortunately, Find My Phone does not allow you to lock or erase your device should it be stolen or, say, left at the local pub -- you will still need Android Device Manager to do that.
Google wants no-cost international roaming for its phone service
Google may not have grand ambitions for its upcoming cellular network, but the company could still have a few clever tricks up its sleeve. The Telegraph claims that Google is talking to wireless giant Hutchison Whampoa, the owner of Three (and soon O2), about letting American customers roam at no extra cost on the foreign carrier's networks. In other words, you could go on Instagram photo tours of places like Hong Kong or the UK without facing an outrageous phone bill when you get home. Neither of the companies are commenting, but Hutchison Whampoa would be a very logical partner. It already lets its customers roam in other countries (including the US) as if they were at home -- in a way, a Google deal would simply be returning the favor.
Pew: 7 percent of Americans only use their phone for internet access
You probably lean heavily on your smartphone for internet access these days, but for some Americans it's not a nice-to-have convenience... it's their only way of getting online. Pew Research Center's latest survey estimates that 7 percent of Americans depend solely on their phone for internet service, and have no practical alternatives. About 10 percent have a smartphone but no home broadband, and 15 percent have just a limited number of options beyond their handsets.
T-Mobile hopes to draw you in with crowdsourced coverage maps
If you've relied on carrier coverage maps to decide who gets your business, you know that they're sometimes sketchy. A good connection on the map could still mean lousy service in your neighborhood, for instance. T-Mobile thinks it has a better solution: it just launched a crowdsourced coverage map. Instead of simply predicting the quality you're likely to get, the map draws on usage data (including customer reports and speed tests) to tell you what connections you can realistically expect. The maps are also updated twice a month, so you won't have to trust that months-old information is still accurate.
Nigerian telecoms to face jail time over shoddy cell service
Nigeria's Consumer Protection Council (CPC), with the backing of the country's government, is threatening to throw telecom executives in jail unless they improve their call quality. The African nation has seen mobile phone adoption rates soar over the past four years thanks to a price war that has dramatically lowered prices. That may seem like a win for consumers but, in fact, the increased user base (combined with the telecoms' general unwillingness to invest in their infrastructure and capacity) has rendered many cell services nearly unusable. The CPC argues that network congestion and dropped calls are so common that it's starting to cost consumers money. What's more, regulators recently performed Quality Assurance tests (QAT) for operators throughout the region and failed to find a single one that actually achieved the connection promised in their consumer service agreements.
Oppo's next phone has a crazy slim screen bezel
The folks over at Oppo sure know how to tease. Well, that's my guess, anyway, based on the fact that several Chinese tech writers received the above photos from "anonymous" sources yesterday. This mysterious smartphone -- running on Oppo's ColorOS Android ROM -- features an almost edge-to-edge screen that's similar to what we've seen on the Sharp AQUOS Crystal series, except for the earpiece that Oppo decided to keep. This is backed up by an Oppo patent (dug up by GSM Arena) which shows the use of light refraction to give the illusion of a bezel-free screen. Yes, it's very much the same method as Sharp's. For those who are still skeptical, there's now a short video showing the same device in action, and you can check it out after the break. As for the price and availability, we're just as eager as you are to find out.
Pakistan orders cellphone users to provide their fingerprints
Pakistan is determined to prevent terrorists from using untraceable cellphone accounts to coordinate attacks like that in Peshawar, even if it means eroding civil liberties in the process. The country has ordered cellphone users to have their SIM cards verified through fingerprints, theoretically discouraging extremists from relying on local carriers to communicate or trigger bombs. People have until April 13th (carriers have to comply by April 15th) to get their digits on the record if they want to keep their cell service intact.
Verizon pays $3.4 million after failing to fix a 911 outage in time
American phone carriers are supposed to keep 911 lines up and running as long as possible, and Verizon is learning that the hard way. It's paying $3.4 million after the FCC determined that it fell short of obligations when an outage left 750,000 Californians without emergency calls for six hours. The settlement also asks Verizon to clean up its act: it has to do better jobs of both protecting against outages and speeding up its repair times when things go horribly wrong. Big Red won't be reeling from the blow given that it makes billions in profit every quarter, but the odds are that it would rather give you better 911 reliability than pay millions more the next time network problems strike. [Image credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo]
Sprint will cover whatever it costs you to switch carriers
Sprint still really, really wants you to switch to its phone network. To that end, it just launched an offer that reimburses whatever it costs you to hop aboard, whether it's a contract termination fee or device installment payments -- there's no cap, as with other switching promos. The only big catch is that you have to turn in any existing phones. So long as you live in an area with good Sprint coverage, though, this could make a lot of sense if you're frustrated by another carrier and would rather not drop hundreds of dollars just to jump ship.
Here's what our readers think of the iPhone 6 Plus
Though the iPhone has always been a good (if not great) product, one area where it was lacking was size. If you wanted a bigger screen, you had to pick up an Android device. And plenty of people did, which is why Apple finally entered the fray last year with the iPhone 6 Plus. We really liked its camera and its beautiful display, though we found that the larger size "can fatigue even the biggest of hands if you hold on long enough." But while we didn't find the iPhone 6 Plus groundbreaking, we did note it brought much-needed freshness to Apple's lineup. But how did the 6 Plus' larger dimensions and updated design fare with consumers? Our readers were ready to let us know, writing reviews on the 6 Plus' product page to show us how this 5.5-inch device felt in their own hands.
Sprint promo gives your family 12GB of shared data for $90 per month
Sprint is still bending over backwards to get you to switch to its network, and this time it's hoping to bring your whole family on board. The carrier is running a Family Share Pack promotion until March 12th that gives you 12GB of shared data for $90 per month (with waived line access fees) through the end of March 2016 -- a hefty bargain versus the 10GB T-Mobile is offering in its $100 deal. Sprint will also buy out your existing contract, albeit through gift cards, if you switch from another provider. This isn't the biggest deal given that your bill will get much bigger once the promo is over and those access fees kick in. All the same, it could be worth the effort if you were already bent on dropping your existing carrier (particularly AT&T or Verizon, which charge $160 for 10GB) and live in a Sprint-friendly area.
AT&T's prepaid GoPhone service now gives you much more data
AT&T is clearly bent on turning its ho-hum GoPhone prepaid service into more of a well-oiled machine. Just a couple of months after the carrier tweaked GoPhone pricing, it's upping the amount of full-speed data you get with two of its plans. The $45 tier is jumping from 1GB per month to a decidedly healthier 1.5GB; if you were paying $60 for 2.5GB before, you now get 4GB. The higher-end plan now has unlimited calling and texting to Mexico, too. The move was arguably necessary between higher data ceilings at Cricket (AT&T's other contract-free offering) and stiffer competition from T-Mobile, but it's hard to object to getting a lot more for the money. [Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
Xiaomi used a trio of crustaceans for an unusual 'durability' test
Most cellphone makers do their durability testing in labs, but let's be honest: those trials can be kind of boring to watch. In an attempt to show just how tough its Mi 4 handset is, Xiaomi used a trio of sea creatures. The phone spent a few moments in the clutches of a freshwater crab, a Japanese blue crab and a lobster, with each getting a chance to clamp down on the 5-inch steel-framed device. The gadget endures the grip of the first two just fine, but company decided to leave us in suspense as to how the Mi 4 fared against the crustacean with the biggest claws. The fate of the testers isn't disclosed in the video either, but we'll assume someone had a nice seafood dinner. At any rate, take a look at the stunt on the other side of the break.
US carriers make it (somewhat) easier to unlock your phone
If you've struggled with getting your carrier to unlock your phone so that you can easily travel abroad -- or, gasp, switch providers -- today is an important day. As promised, seven US networks (AT&T, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon) are now honoring a voluntary code of conduct that, among other things, lets you get your phone unlocked without a big fight. As a rule, carriers will agree to derestrict your phone after you've paid off your device or service contract. You'll have to ask most of them to do it, which could take up to two days. It's easier on a couple of carriers, however. Sprint will automatically unlock SIM-based cellular service on phones bought from today onward, while T-Mobile bundles an app with newer phones that lets you start the process yourself.
You can finally buy a OnePlus One with ease
If you've been eyeing the OnePlus One in the months following its debut, but haven't secured an invite to purchase, you're in luck. On Tuesdays, anyone can buy the 16GB Silk White and 64GB Sandstone Black without the previous requirement for 24 hours, starting at 3AM ET (12AM PT, 8AM GMT, 4PM HKT). The so-called flagship killer will set you back $299 (16GB) or $349 (64GB) for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel camera and Cyanogen's 11S OS that's powered by Android. The company has its own software in the works, though, and it's set to reveal that OxygenOS later this week. Of course, the previous invite system can still be used to shop every other day of the week, but at least now there's some hint of normal sales for the popular handset startup.
Selfies may have led to a deadly airplane crash
Taking selfies while you're driving any moving vehicle is a bad idea, especially in an aircraft -- and unfortunately, those snapshots may have cost two air travelers their lives. The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a double-fatality Cessna 150 crash in Colorado "likely" occurred because the pilot distracted himself with cellphone self-portraits shortly after takeoff. Action camera footage from a flight just minutes earlier showed the man taking selfies -- investigators believe it's no big stretch to suggest that he repeated this mistake on his final voyage.
Chicago's subways are getting speedy LTE data
Just because you have cellular service in the subway doesn't mean you have good service -- in many cases, your data goes in the dumps when your train ventures underground. That won't be a problem in Chicago for much longer, though. The city has reached a deal with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon that will have the carriers paying to bring LTE data to Chi-town's subway tunnels. When the upgrade is complete sometime later this year, you should have fast internet access all the way from O'Hare Airport to the Blue and Red Lines downtown. This upgrade was ultimately necessary given that wireless networks are preparing for a future where everything goes through LTE, but it's good to know that you'll soon have an easy time streaming music on the way home from a Cubs game. [Image credit: Chris Smith, Flickr]
AT&T and Dish were the big spenders in the FCC's wireless auction
There's no doubt that companies spent a ton of money in the FCC's latest wireless auction -- $44.9 billion of it, to be precise. But who was it that was so eager to part with their cash? You don't have to wonder for much longer. The FCC has revealed the winning bidders, and there's little doubt as to who the frontrunners are. AT&T was by far the biggest spender. It shelled out almost $18.2 billion for 251 licenses to use that coveted AWS-3 spectrum, or nearly three times what it spent on 700MHz frequencies back in 2008. Dish, meanwhile, made its broadband ambitions pretty clear by snapping up a sizable $13.3 billion in airwaves.
Saygus' over-specced phone costs $550 for early birds
How do you prove your device isn't vaporware? Put a price and pre-order date on it. Well, that's what Saygus is doing with the V2 (pronounced V-Squared) that we spent some time with at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, at least. If you reserve a handset come February 2nd, not only will you get a $50 break off the $599 asking price, but Saygus is throwing in a few extras as well. Those include an additional battery and what the company's calling a "customized, replaceable glass screen protector." The pre-order registration window's been extended until noon MST February 2nd, and actual pre-orders start at 11:59 p.m. MST (the outfit's based in Salt Lake City, Utah) or February 3rd at 1:59 a.m. Eastern. What a world we live in: one where you can register to pre-buy something that still doesn't have a release date, from a company that hasn't succeeded in bringing a product to market in its five-year existence.
FTC says Straight Talk's promises of unlimited data were crooked
If you were seduced by offers of "unlimited" phone data on prepaid carriers like Straight Talk or Simple Mobile only to find your service unbearably slow after a certain point, the Federal Trade Commission has your back. The carriers' owner, TracFone, has agreed to pay the FTC $40 million to settle charges that it misled customers by advertising unlimited data that was really throttled into oblivion. In other words, Straight Talk was being... less than straight. Beyond the payout, TracFone has to avoid making sketchy claims in its ads and provide refunds to anyone who's been burned. The settlement won't affect a huge number of people, but it could serve as a warning sign to AT&T and other big carriers trying to avoid penalties for similarly shady throttling practices.
