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The portable Sonos Roam speaker is now available in three new colors
Once in a blue moon, Sonos releases its speakers in some fun colors or finishes, but most of the time, people just have to pick between black and white. But starting today, you can get the portable Sonos Roam in three new shades; Wave, Sunset and Olive.
Sonos is rolling out DTS surround sound support
Amazon Music Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos Music spatial audio will soon work on Sonos devices too.
8710087100Sonos Roam review: The right speaker at the right price
The Sonos Roam is a slim, light, $170 speaker that competes directly with Bluetooth-enabled devices like the Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom options. Despite its small size and lower price tag, though, the Roam has a lot more features on board than the average Bluetooth speaker. And that might make it enticing — especially if you already own other Sonos devices.
The Roam is Sonos' cheapest and most portable speaker yet
Today, Sonos revealed its least expensive, most portable speaker yet, the Roam. It's up for pre-order today, and it'll be available on April 20th.
Nissan's zero-emission ice cream truck uses recycled EV batteries
For some, chasing the neighborhood ice cream truck is a favorite summer tradition. But many ice cream trucks have diesel engines, and older models keep those engines running to power the freezers. That means you get a hefty side of CO2 emissions with your cone. Nissan thinks it can change that. To celebrate the UK's Clean Air Day, Nissan unveiled a zero-emission ice cream van concept, called "Sky to Scoop."
Beats sues headphone startup CEO for saying he's a co-founder (updated)
Beats isn't happy that ROAM CEO Steven Lamar is taking credit for co-founding its headphone business and demanding extra royalties -- it's firing back with a lawsuit of its own. The Apple-owned company claims that Lamar "deliberately misrepresented" his involvement in its early days. He didn't have an ownership role in the company, Beats says, and Jibe Audio (which Lamar once ran) reportedly wasn't responsible for any aspects of its initial headphone designs. We've reached out to ROAM for Lamar's response, although we can't imagine that he'll take the lawsuit lying down. Much of ROAM's credibility is based on the connection to Beats, and it becomes just another audio company if it loses those bragging rights. Update: ROAM has responded. To no one's surprise, it's unhappy -- it argues the lawsuit is full of "erroneous and unsubstantiated claims," and that Lamar's key role in Beats has been known for years. He never said he was an employee or shareholder, ROAM insists. The firm also hopes for an "immediate and positive resolution" to the suit, but we wouldn't count on that happening. [Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images]
Beats co-founder returns with ROAM Ropes wireless in-ear headphones
Steven Lamar helped create the now iconic Beats by Dre brand back in 2006, and after a spat over royalties last spring, he's back with headphones of his very own. Touting the best in ergonomics, sound and "Noise Equalization," Lamar's ROAM brand is launching Ropes as its first portable audio offering. As the moniker suggests, the design allows for the earbuds to be worn around your neck when they're not in use. That "Noise Equalization" bit is proprietary tech that claims to deliver "the best sound quality on the market today." Unforunately, I've yet to get my hands on a pair, so I can't confirm or deny that declaration. If the stock tuning does suit your sonic sensibilities though, there's a ROAM EQ app for tweaking via smartphone. The in-ears will arrive in time for your Christmas shopping, and they'll carry a pricey $299 tag in either graphite/black or orange/gray (benefiting Stand Up to Cancer) color options. For comparison sake, that's $100 more wireless units from Jabra (a pulse-tracking model) and Beats, and $140 higher than the sport-themed pair from SMS Audio.
KnowRoaming review: This SIM 'sticker' makes it easy for travelers to save on data
Thanks in no small part to T-Mobile's free global data initiative, US carriers have begun to lighten the fee load when it comes time to roam. But you'll still pay an arm and a leg in many countries, and discounted plans from AT&T and Verizon, while more reasonable than they once were, require a monthly subscription that can be a hassle to add and remove. If you're expecting to use gobs of data abroad, KeepGo's disposable-SIM program is probably your best bet, but an intriguing alternative from KnowRoaming will keep leisure travelers and other casual users connected in 220 countries without the need to worry about coming home to an enormous bill. That solution, an incredibly thin card with passthrough leads and an adhesive back, simply sits atop your existing SIM, springing into action whenever you arrive in a foreign country. Join me as I travel to Europe and beyond to see how well this sticker works.
Insert Coin: KnowRoaming's SIM 'stickers' let you talk, text and surf worldwide on the cheap
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. You still can't power on your smartphone across the pond in London and expect to pay the same fees you do back in New York, but several offerings make it cheaper to get online across the globe. One of our favorites, KeepGo (formerly iPhoneTrip), has been our preferred method for browsing the web in Canada, Cambodia, and everywhere in between. But daily rates do add up, and that service requires that you swap in a separate SIM, tucking your primary card away until you're back on your contracted network's home turf. KnowRoaming, a new player in this space, has an even more appealing option, however. That firm's SIM "stickers" include all the electronics in a thin film that you can attach to any SIM card using the included applicator. The sticker sits dormant in your unlocked phone when you're at home, but once you cross a border, the service prompts you to jump onto a local network, bypassing your original SIM in the process.
HTC Fireball and LG Spectrum may bring global awesomeness to Verizon's LTE lineup
Separately, the HTC Fireball and LG Spectrum have made their appearances in Verizon's internal system before. But together, in the screenshot above, they're actually much more than just a couple silly names -- they're responsible for ushering in the beginning of an era (potentially). We have yet to see an LTE device on Big Red's lineup that can double as a world phone, but these two phones appear to have the international roaming capability. We're expecting to see them show up at CES, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, we'll just assume the "O" listed in the Global Phone category stands for ohhhh yeah.
T-Mobile USA and AT&T's seven-year UMTS roaming agreement gets detailed
Oddly enough, the main upside of the proposed T-Mobile USA / AT&T tie-up is coming to fruition, despite the fact that neither carrier will be merging into the other. We'd heard shortly after the breakup that both operators would be agreeing to a seven-year roaming deal, but hadn't noticed any specifics on it until now. According to T-Mob's parent company Deutsche Telekom, the two have come to terms on a UMTS roaming agreement for the US (read: no international deals here), which will "allow [T-Mobile] to improve its footprint significantly among the US population and offer its customers better broadband coverage for mobile communications services in the future." The carrier's population coverage will increase from 230 million potential customers at present to 280 million. As a result of the deal with AT&T, coverage will be extended to many regions of America in which T-Mobile USA previously had neither its own high-speed mobile communications network nor the associated roaming agreements. As if that weren't enough, T-Mobile USA will also receive a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Baltimore and Seattle). Oh, and Deutsche Telekom gets $3 billion in cash. #winning
H2O Wireless brings no-contract wireless broadband with international roaming to Best Buy, prices it into oblivion
And this, folks, is why Engadget will be first in line once the Occupy International Roaming convention gets underway. Truth is, it's not H2O Wireless' fault that its latest mobile broadband launch is priced in a way that would only appeal to those who spend their spare time printing money -- it's just the way the (crooked) industry works. Outside of picking up a rental MiFi or procuring a local SIM card from well-appointed international airports, your options for Facebooking, Google Mapping and VoIPing whilst abroad are limited. At any rate, the aforesaid company will be teaming up with Best Buy in order to deliver a no-contract mobile broadband plan that includes global roaming in 100 nations. The Worldwide Wireless Internet on-the-go package includes the USB device and H2O Broadband SIM card for $99.99, but you'll need a $30 international roaming data card in order to get -- wait for it -- ten megabytes of international data. For the big spenders, a $50 card is also available to provide 1GB of domestic data. In case we didn't make it crystal clear already, that's entirely too much for too little; we'd still recommend a local SIM upon arrival, or an Xcom MiFi if you'll be departing from the US of A. Full release is after the break, should you feel the need to explore further.
AT&T launches new global messaging plans, lets you comfortably roam
The largest GSM carrier in the country is popular amongst travelers because you can use nearly all of its phones anywhere in the world. Messaging whilst abroad, however, has always been an expensive headache since the best option on AT&T was a bundle of 50 SMS / MMS messages for $10. That's a quaint number, to say the least, considering many of us can burn through that many messages in an hour. Beginning today, two more options are available for the more text-savvy roamers: you can get a package of 200 for $30, or 500 for $50. This number only reflects the number of messages you send, which means those received are counted against your US bucket of texts (if you're on a pay-per-use messaging plan, they'll cost 20 cents). Given the company's recent history of streamlining, we applaud the additional choices global jetsetters now have. Enjoy the presser after the break.
ContourRoam waterproof camera takes hands-free filmmaking underwater
Contour has already produced a handful of imagers for football players and cyclists, but the company has now come out with a solution for underwater explorers, as well, with its first waterproof camera -- the ContourRoam. This hands-free device boasts a super wide-angle, 170-degree rotating lens, capable of capturing HD video in three different resolutions (1080p, 960p, and 720p) at 30fps. Its lens can also rotate up to 270 degrees, and projects a horizontal laser to help you align your shots. The camera's instant on-record option, meanwhile, allows you to start recording as soon as you turn it on, while its waterproof aluminum body lets you shoot video at underwater depths of up to one meter for up to 30 minutes at a time -- meaning you can leave that old ContourHD case at home. Aspiring Steve Zissous can buy one now for $200, at the source link below. Otherwise, just wade past the break for more information, in the full presser.
Verizon LTE: no roaming, even if you want to
Several companies are hopping on the LTE bandwagon, but it's turning out to be more isolating an experience than we hoped. According to PCMag, a Verizon spokesperson confirmed that its fourth-generation broadband network won't be compatible with other carriers in the US. As it turns out, Big Red and AT&T each own a separate block of 700MHz spectrum with only a fraction of overlap, leaving little room for phones on both networks to mingle with one another. There's not much hope for roaming on MetroPCS or LightSquared, either, as their waves of LTE run at 1700MHz and 1500MHz, respectively. This smattering of frequencies means it'll be near impossible to get roam on other companies' 4G networks nationally. What's worse, the ITU has approved twelve bands for LTE use around the world, so don't count on a wide selection of global devices -- and you thought sorting through international 3G was bad, didn't you? We're still a long way from learning our LTE roaming fate, but it appears the largest carrier in the US won't make the journey any easier on us.
AT&T revamps global data packages, gives international travelers (slightly) more for their money
Let's face it: roaming internationally, particularly when it comes to mobile data, is a terrible decision. And we've got the breakdown to prove it. Thankfully for you, said decision just became marginally less terrible thanks to a handful of plan revisions from AT&T. The new international data package tiers are slightly less galling than the ones they're replacing, but they're hardly what we'd consider a bargain. Folks looking to roam overseas in around 100 qualified nations will see $24.99 / month net them 50MB of global data (up from 20MB), while $49.99 / month gets 'em 125MB (up from 50MB). The $99.99 monthly package provides 275MB (up from 100MB), while the $199.99 / month tier offers 800MB of data (up from 200MB). Even still, the avid jetsetter can blow through 800MB in a single workday abroad, and none of these new options hold a candle to an unlimited rental from a firm like Xcom Global. Still, it's a huge relief to see a major US carrier moving international data rates in the right direction, and hopefully we'll see sensible figures published in our lifetime. The world ain't gettin' any smaller, you know? P.S. - We're still waiting to hear back on whether your existing global data plan will include a higher amount of data per-dollar.
Cellular South inks deal with LightSquared, gets LTE with stroke of a pen
Cellular South just dropped a nugget, announcing it's hopped aboard with LightSquared to provide nationwide LTE service to its 900,000 subscribers. In turn, the 4G wholesaler promised to bring coverage to rural communities (and offer satellite service for those in really distant locales). Cellular South joins Cricket, Best Buy Connect and SI Wireless as the latest to add LTE coverage the easy way, though they're left waiting for the network to come online sometime in 2012. Meanwhile, LightSquared continues working to resolve those pesky GPS concerns, with a final report due to the FCC on June 15th. PR after the break. [Image courtesy Flickr]
Cricket ties up with LightSquared for LTE roaming agreement
Throwing a little caution to the wind over brewing GPS interference concerns, Cricket -- the CDMA budget carrier that specializes in contract-free plans -- has hooked up with LightSquared to deliver additional LTE service through a roaming agreement that'll supplement its own rollout "over the next few years. " All told, the moves should bring it up to technological speed with archrival MetroPCS, which deployed LTE last year (beating Verizon to market, actually) and currently has a pair of Samsung-sourced handsets on the market to take advantage of it. For LightSquared's part, this is exactly the type of deal they've been looking to ink: the company has expressed no interest in lighting up a retail-facing carrier of its own, instead offering wholesale LTE deals to other carriers -- like, say, Cricket -- who don't necessarily have the spectrum, the time, or the budget to roll out 4G in earnest. Follow the break for LightSquared's press release. [Thanks, Mark]
Sprint losing on-network coverage in parts of Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming
If you're in the magnificent boondocks of North America and you're on Sprint, you're going to have to start to be a little more careful with your voice and data usage -- in fact, if you live in parts of North Dakota, Wyoming, or Montana, you might be forced to consider a carrier change on news that some swaths of on-network footprint are changing to roaming coverage on March 1st. The move is said to be a result of Verizon's divestiture of certain ex-Alltel markets to AT&T, and it means that if you're on Sprint and you use more than 800 voice minutes (or half your plan) in the new roaming areas in a month, the carrier's liable to suspend you; similarly, you won't be able to exceed 300MB of data. Certain device and plan features don't work in roaming areas, either -- Sprint details them on its FAQ page about the change -- so if you live in those parts, you might need to look at moving to greener pastures. [Thanks, Kenneth L.]
Sprint hammers out WiMAX roaming agreements in Taiwan, Jamaica
Most of us our still concerned with getting good 4G coverage domestically, much less internationally, but Sprint's taking things to the next level for globetrotters by hammering out a couple global roaming agreements for users of its WiMAX modems. The carrier has inked new deals with Jamaica's Digicel and Taiwan's Global Mobile that will allow travelers to sign up for 24-hour passes -- but as with any international roaming situation, pricing is the tricky part, and Sprint's yet to announce how that's going to play out here. Devices using the Sprint SmartView Connection Manager software are compatible, meaning the 250U and U600 modems are on board; an exact launch date is yet to be determined, unfortunately, so if you're a subscriber with a trip to either of those countries in the next few days, our deepest condolences. Follow the break for the full press release.
