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Microsoft's deal to buy Nokia gets thumbs-up from China
When one massive corporation buys another one, it's not as simple as handing over the dosh and winking. There's also the small matter of the world's competition authorities, which check that the deal won't affect market conditions. China has finally given its blessing to the Microsoft - Nokia tie-up, meaning that the pair can make their marriage official, probably before the end of April. Of course, that only gives us a few days to work out a facetious portmanteau to name the pair -- Microkia and Nokrosoft are all we've got so far.
Asian regulators push Microsoft's Nokia purchase back until April
Despite receiving all of the necessary confirmations in the US and Europe, Microsoft will need to wait a little longer than expected to finalize its $7.45 billion acquisition of Nokia. Originally expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, both companies today issued a progress report on the deal, explaining that while things were moving well in Asia, it may take until April for regulators there to give it the green light. While the necessary reviews are being conducted, Microsoft is wasting no time advertising its future smartphone union, stating that it will "accelerate our mobile-first, cloud-first imperatives." That, of course, means getting more Windows Phone handsets in customers' hands, something new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes it can do a lot quicker once Nokia becomes part of the family.
FCC approves AT&T's acquisition of Leap Wireless, with some strings attached
AT&T's buyout of Leap Wireless is clearly going more smoothly than its failed bid for T-Mobile. The FCC has just approved the Leap acquisition, leaving only the Department of Justice's A-OK between AT&T and its dreams of additional spectrum. However, the carrier will have to abide by some conditions if it wants all that extra bandwidth. AT&T will have to launch LTE on Leap's unused airwaves no later than a year after the deal wraps up; the provider must also roll out LTE in parts of Texas within 18 months, offload some spectrum in the state and maintain roaming deals while Cricket's network is running. These kinds of requirements are par for the course in wireless mergers, though, and we suspect that it won't be long before AT&T has yet another company under its belt.
FAA clears Surface for takeoff in US cockpits
Begun, the airline tablet wars have? Microsoft's Surface 2 has just joined the iPad on the FAA's list of approved pilot EFBs (Electronic Flight Bags) for all phases of flight. That follows Delta's recent announcement that it would deploy 11,000 of Redmond's hybrid tablets in its cockpits instead of the iPad, which it also considered. Apple's tablet is already used by American Airlines and others, but Delta said it preferred the readability, productivity apps and other features of the Surface 2. Pilots will now be able to switch from heavy paper charts and books, which will supposedly save millions in fuel costs once the transition is complete in 2015. It also finally puts the pilots on parity with their passengers, as the airline was one of the first on board with the expanded use of personal electronics. Update: The Surface 2 has been approved by the FAA, not the Surface Pro 2. We've revised the post to reflect that.
FCC approves Google's white space wireless database
Google may have been on pins and needles while the FCC scrutinized its white space wireless database over the spring, but it can relax this summer -- the FCC has given the database the all-clear. The approval lets Google serve as one of ten go-to sources for white space devices needing safe frequencies in the US. It also lets those with interference-prone devices, such as wireless microphone users, register the airwaves they consider off-limits to white space technology. The clearance won't have much immediate effect when very few Americans are using the spectrum, but it's a step forward for rural broadband rollouts and other situations where long-range, unlicensed wireless comes in handy.
US Justice Department clears Softbank acquisition of Sprint
Softbank and Sprint have been on pins and needles ever since January, when the US Department of Justice asked the FCC to delay the carriers' merger as it scrutinized the deal over national security concerns. The two networks can breathe a little easier this weekend, as the DOJ just dropped its request for more time. There's "no objection" to the acquisition following a review, the agency says. Not that the companies are completely out of the woods: the FCC has to approve the buyout, and there's still the small matters of Dish's bids for both Sprint and Clearwire. Softbank may not want to drop its backup plan just yet.
Samsung Knox gets official DoD approval for government use
Samsung announced in March that its Knox security suite would debut with the Galaxy S 4. That might not have happened exactly as planned, but just as the WSJ predicted the Department of Defense has given it the official hat-tip for use in government departments. Good news for Samsung, who will now see its Knox-enabled devices added to the alongside BlackBerry on the official list of approved hardware. This also represents the first time any Android devices have been deemed secure enough for use by US services. With iOS believed to be going through the same boot-camp trials, agencies could be about to get a lot more choice.
Provo council approves fiber network sale to Google, but city must front $1.7 million
Provo, Utah's plan to sell its cost-plagued fiber network to Google has been approved by the municipal council, meaning it'll soon become the third Google Fiber city. However, while still not receiving any money upfront as earlier reported, it'll now have to advance $1.7 million in equipment and engineering costs not part of the deal before, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In exchange, each Provo resident will get a free 5-megabit internet connection for seven years and Google will have to upgrade the network to connect all the city's homes. It's not quite free, however, as the city's 120,000 residents must still pay a $39 million bond for building the network -- meaning they'll shell out $3.3 million for each of the next 12 years.
Sony Xperia Tablet Z passes through the FCC in WiFi trim
Sure, we've seen Sony dissect the Xperia Tablet Z to show its inner workings, but that doesn't get the slate any closer to its spring launch. An FCC approval will, however. The tablet has swung through the US agency in its regular WiFi form, with photos and a user manual removing any doubts as to its nature. While there are no surprises here -- not unless you really, really wanted to know the exact location of the WiFi antenna -- the move should leave just a few formalities between Americans and Sony's extra-thin design.
OLPC XO-4 surfaces at the FCC, right on cue
The One Laptop Per Child team hasn't always been punctual -- see the XO 3.0, née XO-3 -- but it should be right on time with the XO-4. In step with March production plans, the ARM-based portable has passed through the FCC's approval in both conventional and touchscreen flavors. All models share 5GHz-capable 802.11n WiFi as well as Bluetooth; there's no cellular surprise lurking underneath, if you're curious. More than anything, the filing is good news for students in the developing world, who are that much closer to touchscreen laptops at a time when the technology is still fresh for just about everyone.
OUYA promises quick game approval process, reviews start by the end of February
OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman's promising a quick, simple approval process for games on her company's upcoming Android-powered game console, the OUYA. She told us in an interview this week: "It's similar to mobile: they'll submit their games, and we'll review for intellectual property infringement, and malware, and excessive pornography. But ultimately it's a quick review and you're in the storefront in one capacity or another." That's not the only mobile model OUYA's following; Urhman already said the OUYA hardware will iterate on an annual basis, similar to the mobile market. Despite the console's impending March launch to Kickstarter supporters, OUYA's yet to begin reviewing games for its storefront. "We literally just opened the ability for developers to upload their games into the store," Uhrman explained. The review process isn't too far off, however -- she's predicting a "middle-to-end of this month" timeframe. "We're building that right now," she said, when asked who's staffing that approvals process. "We are a start-up like any other start-up, it's just-in-time business." The first consumer-ready OUYA consoles are planned for a March launch, with availability at retail to follow in June. The $99 console made a big splash on Kickstarter, eventually raising over $8.5 million when the original goal was a meager $950K.
Apple's 'spaceship' campus might be delayed until 2016
Apple was moving right along on its plans to build a "spaceship"-like campus on the ground in Cupertino by 2015, but according to a new report to the city council, the project has been delayed by at least a year. Apple was hoping to break ground on the new site this year, but the company is still working on an environmental impact report that's not expected to be finished until June 2013, and that report is required for Cupertino's council to approve the building. There aren't any big changes to the plan itself though a few revisions have been made, including a new scheme to develop the area without trucking dirt around, as well as a tweak that will move a big auditorium further away from campus center. The biggest issue is city council approval. And the council says that even if it approves the plans as they are, local residents might have other legal challenges that could delay the process even further. At any rate, Apple may not get to start building the spaceship campus until 2014, which means employees likely couldn't sit down at their new desks until a few years later. That's probably still fine with the company, though given how quickly things are moving in this industry, it's hard to tell just what Apple will be like when that date rolls around.
WSJ: Google nearly ready to submit Maps app to the App Store
The mapping back-and-forth between Apple and Google (or as I like to call it, "the Set-To in Mountain View") appears to be entering a new phase, as the Wall Street Journal reports. Sources tell the paper that Google is almost ready to submit its hypothetical standalone Google Maps application to the App Store, supplementing Apple's built-in and controversial Google-free Maps tool. Google has reportedly enlisted some external testers to put the app through its paces. Of note, the WSJ story suggests that turn-by-turn navigation will be part of the new app's feature suite. The lack of turn-by-turn and voice navigation in the iOS 5-and-earlier Maps app (coded by Apple, powered by Google's data) was among the pain points that led Apple to build out its own mapping capability for iOS 6. Having a Google-provided nav solution will help deliver parity with Google's maps tools on Android -- and will keep a portion of that location-based ad revenue and user monitoring data flowing back to the Googleplex. The next question, of course, is whether or not Apple will release the Google mapping app via the App Store, or reject it back to Google. The two companies have not always seen eye-to-eye when it comes to iOS apps that shadow or replicate onboard functionality; the months of waiting for the official Google Voice app (and the third-party apps that were released, then rejected) are a prime example of the potential struggles, which would be magnified dramatically with the high profile of Maps. Our colleague Michael Grothaus reported in The Guardian that some Googlers are not optimistic about a rapid, drama-free App Store approval for the new Google Maps app. Photo by Shannon Archuleta | flickr cc
Nokia announces Here, a new maps service coming to iOS
Apple's already had plenty of maps-related woes, and here comes what might be even more trouble. At an event in San Francisco, Nokia has announced a brand-new maps service called Here, and in addition to releasing across Nokia's usual platforms, the service also has an iOS app that's already been submitted to Apple and should be available soon. Nokia has also acquired a mapping company named Earthmine that specializes in street-level 3D mapping, so presumably it will be putting them to work on mapping out street locations all over the world for Here. There are also some big pushes to include user-submitted data (including a "Map Creator"), and Nokia will also provide live traffic information and directions (including for mass transit) as needed. The Next Web has a quick run through of Here, although it is not without its own flaws. There's an API for Android, providing a new mapping resource for developers, but the iOS app will actually be an HTML5-based app. Nokia has said its working with Mozilla to bring its maps to Firefox OS, but if you want to sample what is available now, you can check out Here.net in your browser right now. So here's a big push by Nokia on a market that even Apple has floundered in lately. This is a big bet, but it's possible that Nokia, of all companies, could end up filling in with a great maps solution where Apple's own system has had a few missteps. [via Engadget]
New Apple iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad reach the FCC
Apple's iPad mini and 4th-generation iPad didn't arrive alone. In the company's time-honored tradition, it has timed the FCC filings for both devices to show up alongside the products themselves. Each iOS tablet has been approved in both singular WiFi and dual cellular editions: the iPad mini has appeared as the WiFi-only A1432 as well as the A1454 and A1455 for worldwide HSPA+, EV-DO and LTE coverage, while the full-size iPad has been cleared in directly paralleled A1458, A1459 and A1460 versions. Not surprisingly, the frequency range matches that of the iPhone 5 and suggests that we're dealing with the same Qualcomm MDM9615 chip. We'll know more once the two iPads are in our hands and those of teardown artists, but for now you can explore Apple's regulatory gymnastics in full at the source links.
Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC
Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren't spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920's distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T's range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T's network. We haven't seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren't expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft's October 29th event -- now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.
Toshiba Excite 10SE / AT300SE gets caught visiting the FCC, may tout Jelly Bean
If you're Toshiba, what do you do when you're looking to goose interest in the Excite 10 tablet? Roll out a quick follow up, of course. Accordingly, the FCC has just recently cleared a refreshed tablet, the AT300SE, that the Bluetooth SIG suggests will be called the Excite 10SE in North America. As shown, it's a European-spec WiFi model that gives away little by itself. It's when we combine this with the Bluetooth listing and speed tests that a clearer picture of the upgrade emerges -- there's been an AT300SE in GLBenchmark's performance charts that we've seen running Jelly Bean (unavailable to current Excites) on top of what looks to be the familiar 1,280 x 800 display and 1.3GHz Tegra 3. While there may be other surprises lurking in areas the tests can't reach, the documents point to a quick nip-and-tuck from Toshiba to keep tablet sales afloat rather than a full overhaul.
Nokia Lumia 822 for Verizon possibly caught stopping by the FCC
Just in case you thought Nokia's Lumia 822 for Verizon was an illusion, the FCC has given us good (if not quite smoking gun) evidence that it's tangible. A filing at the agency shows a device that's only listed as the RM-845 on the surface, but has Verizon's CDMA and LTE bands, measurements very close to those of the GSM-based Lumia 820 and a microSD slot that you wouldn't find in a Lumia 920 variant -- short of a surprise new model, there's little beyond the 822 that would currently fit the bill. Those disappointed that it's not a higher-end Lumia might take some consolation in seeing both the expected NFC as well as quad-band HSPA 3G for world roaming. Between the FCC and earlier photos, fans are really just left waiting for Verizon to make this new piece of its Windows Phone revival official, whether it's on October 29th or some other date.
Samsung Series 5 Slate reaches out and touches the FCC
Samsung has just days to go before the Series 5 Slate (and ATIV Smart PC) arrives hand-in-hand with the official launch of Windows 8, so we're surprised that it's been waiting so long to clear the usual regulatory hurdles in the US. Just in the nick of time, though, the 11-inch tablet has passed by the FCC for approval. There's no hidden surprises to go with the testing -- this is the regular Series 5 with Bluetooth and dual-band WiFi, but no visible NFC or the AT&T model's LTE. As such, we're more curious about when Samsung's Series 7 Slate and Series 5 Ultra Touch reach the FCC's doors. They'll likely arrive soon, but any significant delay could put them on the sidelines for Microsoft's big moment.
LG E960 Mako surfaces in photos, may be the future Nexus phone (update)
Rumors have been swirling that LG will get its first crack at a Nexus phone this year. If there's any merit to that claim, we might have just received an early peek. An XDA-Developers forum goer has posted a collection of photos for the E960, which appears to be a variant of the Optimus G -- until you realize that it's using software navigation keys, doesn't quite resemble the international or AT&T Optimus G models and is oddly badged as the "Full JellyBean on Mako." Given that Google likes to name its reference Android phones after fish, it doesn't take much to suspect that a device codenamed Mako is more likely to become a Nexus than an Optimus. The completely stock but unreleased Android 4.1.2 build of Jelly Bean certainly helps fuel the rumor mill. If the E960 does carry Google's honorific, though, some may be in for a disappointment knowing that the model that reached the FCC last week doesn't have LTE. We won't rule out that this is one of multiple Nexus variants, if it's a Nexus at all, but the 3G edition's filing hints that Google may not rock the boat for its 2012 flagship. Update: More images have surfaced, this time with the anti-spy casing removed from the back of the phone. Click past the break for more.
