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Finally, a phone made in the year 2013 that Zack Morris can approve of. All kidding aside, Spot's aptly titled Global Phone isn't the most -- shall we say, svelte -- of handsets, but it's capable of communicating in places that your iPhone could only dream of. Spot is actually a subsidiary of satellite communications giant Globalstar, who is no stranger to providing satellite-based service to argonauts the world over. The Global Phone is one of the company's first consumer-facing phones, taking the intrigue and mystery out of procuring one of those fancy sat phones -- you know, the ones that can seemingly only be acquired by James Bond's nemeses.

The target market for this handset is obvious: if you're an avid hiker, explorer, boater or adventurer, there's a high likelihood that you'll end up in a locale where traditional cell networks provide no coverage. In fact, it's shockingly easy to find dead zones these days -- just head to your nearest national park and stroll up a marked trail for a bit. At $499 for the device itself and month-to-month plans starting at $25, it's actually a reasonably priced addition to one's off-the-grid arsenal. (Have you seen the prices on subzero sleeping bags these days?)

But, is it a worthwhile addition? I recently traversed 1,600 miles of mostly desolate territory in the US Southwest in order to find out, and the answer lies just after the break.

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That baffling metallic Nokia EOS chassis we saw the other day? It's back, but this time the same leakster from Sina Weibo managed to get a shot of at least 12 of them, meaning the device has likely reached some sort of production stage. In another photo, we can see the same button arrangement -- presumably volume, power and camera -- that's already present on the current Lumia range. The strange thing is we've yet to see a cover plate that will match this seemingly smaller camera opening, but the square shape does make us wonder whether this will fit Pelican Imaging's 16-lens array camera. After all, Nokia did announce its investment in this plenoptic camera technology. Hopefully Elop will personally explain what's going on at his event on July 11th -- maybe with both this and the plastic EOS in his hands.

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You may recall that a Chinese startup dubbed Smartisan promised to offer its first custom Android ROM on June 15th. Well, the time has come and the company stuck to its word, but there's a catch: the software is currently still in pre-alpha status, so it's neither stable nor speedy -- definitely not recommended for daily use just yet. That said, the release apparently includes most of the features demonstrated at the three-hour-long launch event.

The other catch is that you'll need an international Samsung Galaxy S III (i9300, WCDMA) plus Windows (presumably non-RT) to flash this early version of Smartisan OS. If you're game then head to the source link for the download and the instructions (but in Chinese). If not, you can wait for the upcoming release for the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S II, Xiaomi Phone 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Or you can just wait for Smartisan's very own phone due next year, if you don't mind testing your patience.

Update: Someone's already made a quick hands-on video in Chinese. We've got it right after the break.

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When Anki Drive was demoed live on stage during Apple's WWDC, we saw a modern take on classic slot cars using iOS devices and Bluetooth-equipped toy vehicles -- basically a racing video game rendered with real world objects. But there's actually a lot more to it than that. Earlier this week, we talked briefly with Boris Sofman -- Anki's CEO and cofounder -- about the product and the startup's history and ambitions. While playing the game and taking pictures was off limits, we got the opportunity to examine the cars up close. Read on after the break.

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While it's been easy for Canadians to get data plans for the iPad and iPad mini, they haven't had the luxury of picking one up at a carrier store like their American neighbors. They will soon, however: Rogers and Telus say they'll be selling the LTE versions of both iPads sometime in the "coming weeks." Details are scarce, although the two networks promise that they'll keep offering contract-free data plans. We've reached out to learn whether or not Bell is following suit.

There isn't any talk of similar offerings with smaller providers, although Wind Mobile is offering an olive branch to iPhone owners. The carrier is now selling $25 nano-SIM cards for those who've bought an unlocked, AWS-friendly iPhone 5 through Apple. These customers won't have LTE, but they'll get HSPA+ data on less expensive (and less restricted) plans. Hit Wind's Facebook page to learn just which devices qualify.

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Just what the heck is the HTC Fetch? Well, it's certainly not a phone. In fact, it appears to be some sort of tracking device according to a filling with Taiwan's NCC. Unfortunately, beyond some broad strokes describing the device in a US trademark filing, we're left with only our imagination to figure out how the Fetch might work. Apparently it's a "portable multifunction electronic tracking device for assistance in locating mobile phones, smartphones, cellular phones, portable computers, tablet computers..." The list goes on and on. We do know there's both a hardware (potentially Bluetooth-powered) and software component, and that while there's a lot of talk about finding lost phones or laptops, HTC also sees the potential for "tracking and locating people." Now it's just a waiting game to find out if the company has any intention of actually selling tracking accessories.

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The White House has long been calling for smarter use of spectrum among federal institutions, and it's translating some of those words into deeds through a new Presidential Memorandum. The new set of guidelines requires that agencies wanting spectrum prove that they've both explored alternatives and will make efficient use of the airwaves they'll get. The NTIA also receives an expanded role under the mandate: it should offer wider access to government-owned frequencies and work more closely with the private sector. Not much changes for the FCC, though. The White House wants it to largely stay the course and prevent carriers from hogging spectrum. Accordingly, we're not expecting a sudden surge in wireless capacity as a result of the memorandum; it might, however, cut back on some waste.

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Oh my. We thought the Oppo Find 5 was already good-looking in its original white, but it just took on some extra appeal now that there's a stylish red edition on the way. The 1080p smartphone hasn't changed on the inside, although that wasn't likely when the phone is just six months old. We're more concerned that we might not get our hands on one -- CNMO understands that the red Find 5 is a limited edition without a specific release date. Whether or not we get to see one in person, we'll at least have the photos at the source link.

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It's been a long, long time since Acer launched a Windows Phone... and from all indications, we're going to keep waiting. The company's Allen Burnes tells Pocket-lint that Windows Phone 8 is good, but "not the right decision" for Acer in 2013. His firm is concerned with boosting sales volume, and the Liquid series of Android phones are currently better for that task, Burnes says. In his mind, Microsoft has to make a stronger case for Windows Phone -- Acer will come back to the OS once there's improved marketing and (hopefully) more demand. We aren't entirely surprised that Acer is holding off when it's already reluctant to back Windows RT, but the cautious attitude is still a disappointment for those who want a little more diversity in Microsoft's mobile ecosystem.

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We gotta say, originally we weren't very confident in the above alleged spy shots of the rumored Nokia EOS smartphone, but after talking to the leakster from Sina Weibo, we think we got this figured out. First of all, there are two parts here: the paint-less camera cover plate that now says "41 MEGA PIXEL" -- the same camera resolution featured on the 808 PureView -- instead of "XX MEGA PIXEL," and a metallic chassis of the EOS phone. But the latter (pictured center and right) looks slightly different to the other leaks we've come across so far: the bump is significantly smaller, and the holes inside don't match the ones on the cover plate. If you look even closer, the pin hole for what seems to be a SIM slot at the top is now on the other side of the slot.

Judging by his background and track record so far (he claims he also leaked the red EOS factory photos), we have reason to believe that this leakster does have a good source on the factory floor. Hence our two assumptions: either this chassis is an early engineering sample, or that this is a metallic variant of the plastic EOS. You know, like what the Lumia 925 is to the Lumia 920. We've been promised a few more photos in the coming days, and hopefully they'll unravel more mystery before Nokia lets the cat out of the bag next month.

Update: The same leakster posted another photo today on Sina Weibo (login required), this time showing an earlier version of the camera cover painted in two colors: silver and black. Image embedded after the break.

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Over the course of this past week, gaming-minded geeks descended upon Los Angeles for the industry's annual summer shindig. In the latest issue of our slate magazine, we hit the show floor at E3 2013 to offer up impressions of the latest gaming gadgetry. We also chat Wii U with Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma, examine the uphill climb for said console and look back at the history of the entire event. There's loads more of game-centric goodness packed into this edition, so we'll let you get to it via the usual download sources.

Distro Issue 95 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
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