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DJI’s Osmo Pocket gimbal camera drops to $250 on Amazon
Originally listed at $399, the Osmo Pocket dropped to $250 on Amazon today.
Demographic report on protests shows how much info our phones give away
Data analytics company Mobilewalla released a report detailing the race, age and gender breakdowns of individuals who participated in protests in select cities during the weekend of May 29th.
You can make your own rotary cellphone
As convenient as modern cellphones are, there's a certain charm to spinning an old-fashioned rotary dial to make a call -- and now, there's a cellphone that caters to that nostalgia. Brookhaven National Lab engineer Justine Haupt has developed a rotary cellphone that's not only functional, but available to make with the help of a $240 do-it-yourself kit. It's effectively a throwback to the days when phones were for calling and nothing else, plus a few present-day creature comforts.
AT&T gives customers 'bonus' data (and a $10 price hike)
AT&T customers who subscribe to the company's Mobile Share Value offering are reporting that an additional 15GB of mobile data have been added to their plan. According to The Verge and later confirmed by AT&T, the telecom company is positioning this as a "bonus," but is also charging the recipients an additional $10 per month. It sounds like AT&T -- not the customers -- is the one getting a bonus.
FCC crackdown on cellphone subsidies leaves millions without service
The Ajit Pai-era FCC has spent much of its energy cracking down on claimed abuses of the Lifeline subsidy program, but this anti-fraud effort may be hurting low-income households more than it helps. The investigative news outlet Center for Public Integrity has used FCC data to determine that nationwide enrollment for cellphone subsidies has dropped by about 2.3 million people, or 21 percent, since 2017. The cuts have been particularly severe in places like the District of Columbia, where 49 percent of Lifeline users lost their subsidies between March 2018 and June 2019. Mississippi, Wyoming and Puerto Rico also lost a third or more of their enrollment in the same time frame.
SIM-based attack has been used to spy on people for two years
In a few cases,your SIM card may pose more of a security risk than your phone's software. AdaptiveMobile Security researchers say they've discovered a new vulnerability, nicknamed Simjacker, that's being used to surveil people's devices by an unnamed surveillance company. The technique sends SMS messages containing instructions for an old S@T Browser app supported on some carriers' SIM cards. Where S@T was originally intended to launch browsers, play sounds or otherwise trigger common actions on phones, Simjacker uses it to obtain location info and IMEI numbers that are later sent to an "accomplice device" (again using SMS) that records the data.
T-Mobile will let you test drive its network for 30 days
T-Mobile is hoping to attract new customers by offering a free test drive program of its network. The process is relatively simple. Sign up online and you'll get a free Coolpad Surf Device hotspot in the mail. Connect to the hotspot via wifi and use it for 30 days or 30GB, whichever comes first. Once you're done, drop it off at any T-Mobile location.
Supreme's 'burner' phone is built for hypebeasts
How important is it that your phone have a Supreme label on it? Important enough that you'd be willing to take big step back in technology? If so, you're in luck. Supreme has unveiled its catalog for fall and winter 2019, and in amidst the usual eccentricities (including champagne flutes and gold-plated dumbbells) is a branded BLU "Burner Phone." It appears to be a gussied-up Zoey 2.4, making it a pretty basic candybar device with a 2.4-inch screen, 3G data, a VGA camera and 128MB of (thankfully expandable) storage -- its biggest feature is the inclusion of a web browser. You really are paying primarily for that "Supreme" badge, although the company is thoughtful enough to include a 16GB microSD card in the box.
Scientists used phone accelerometer data to predict personality traits
Our phones contain a disturbing amount of information about us. While calls, messages, app usage and location logs have all been used to profile users, phone accelerometers contain key information, too. Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University used the tiny sensors that track phone movement for things like step-counting to predict five key personality traits.
WhatsApp comes to millions of basic cellphones running KaiOS
WhatsApp has only had limited availability on basic cellphones until now, but Facebook is about to throw the gates wide open. The messaging app is now available on the KaiStore, making it available to "millions" of low-cost KaiOS cellphones with at least 256MB of RAM. "Most" KaiOS phones will come preloaded with WhatsApp in the third quarter of the year, and that's no small number when over 100 million of the phones have shipped to date.
US networks improved in early 2019 with help from 5G upgrades
Did you have fewer gripes about your cellphone service earlier this year? You're not alone. JD Power's latest US wireless network quality study indicates that the ratio of complaints about call and data performance dropped for every major carrier in the country during the first half of 2019. Verizon (disclaimer: that's Engadget's parent company) had the fewest complaints per 100 people (seven) in all six of the regions studied, but other networks weren't far behind. US Cellular tied for first in the north central US, and both AT&T and T-Mobile usually took turns in second place. Sprint was the lone company consistently trailing behind, although it still saw an improvement.
Man sentenced to 65 months in prison over phone 'cloning' scheme
The US is tying loose ends on an elaborate cellphone crime spree. A Florida judge has sentenced Braulio De la Cruz Vasquez to 65 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges he worked with four co-conspirators (who've already pleaded guilty) as part of a ring that would 'clone' phones and use them for international calls. De la Cruz would receive identifying information linked to wireless subscribers' accounts and use that to "reprogram" cellphones he controlled. After that, his partners would send international calls to his home internet connection and route them through the hijacked phones, making the unwitting victims pay for others' calls.
Cellphone and internet adoption may have peaked in the US
There's no question that technologies like cellphones and internet access have become ubiquitous, but they now appear to be hitting their peak in the US. Pew Research Center's latest technology study has shown that key categories technological adoption has gone virtually unchanged since the last study in 2016, suggesting they've hit saturation points. Much like two years ago, about 95 percent of all Americans studied (99 percent in the ages 18-49 group) have cellphones, 89 percent have internet access, 77 percent have smartphones and 69 percent use social networks. In fact, PC adoption went down -- 73 percent have a computer where 78 percent did in 2016.
T-Mobile’s latest unlimited plan cuts out the extras
Today, T-Mobile announced a new plan called Essentials, which is advertised at just $30 per line for a family of four. It includes unlimited talk, text and data in the US. It's geared towards customers that just want the "basics" -- T-Mobile's other unlimited plans include mobile hotspots, Netflix and more for $40 or more per line for a family of four.
France bans smartphones in schools
Under new legislation, French students will be prohibited from using smartphones and tablets while at school. The law, which was originally noted in President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign, was elevated to a matter of public health amidst concerns French youth has become super-connected.
T-Mobile's $5 international day pass offers 512MB of LTE
T-Mobile is expanding its One plan to give travelers unlimited data and texting across 210 countries. Those who are on the road can use as much 2G data as they like at no extra cost, and the plan offers flat-rate calling at 25 cents per minute (which is an increase of five cents per minute). There's a new pass you can add to your line which includes unlimited calling and 512MB of LTE data every day you're away at a cost of $5 per day. But,you can still use up to 5GB of data at LTE speeds in Mexico and Canada for no extra charge.
Supreme Court ruling requires search warrant for phone location data
The Supreme Court has ruled (PDF) that to perform cellphone tower searches, police will now need a search warrant, as spotted by NPR. Meaning, that now for law enforcement to track where you've been, via historical cellphone location data, will require a judge's approval. Basically, the decision upholds that the Fourth Amendment will continue to protect you from unreasonable searches and seizures.
LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
It's starting to feel like everyone in charge of our sensitive data might be incompetent. It's only been a day since Securus, the company that helps police track phones, was apparently hacked. Now, according to security site KrebsOnSecurity, tracking firm LocationSmart leaked real-time location data on its own web site.
The upgraded Nokia 6 is available for purchase in the US and UK
The second-generation Nokia 6 was announced in China in early January, and now it's finally made its way stateside. The affordable mid-range phone carries an MSRP of $270 for the 32GB version. It's currently available at Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
The Galaxy S9 vs. the competition: Under the hood
On the outside the Galaxy S9 looks pretty familiar: not only does it maintain the same basic shape as the S8, but it's kept the screen and battery size of its predecessor as well. In fact, other high-end phones like the Pixel 2 and iPhone 8 have also stuck with familiar design language, which means that you have to look at the specs to see what's been revised or refined. This year it's mostly about the S9's cameras, with the rear-facing one boasting a dual aperture and the software adding a slew of new features for better pictures and videos. But what other changes should you look at, and how do they compare to what's already on the market? We've stacked up the Galaxy S9 versus its closest competitors so you can get a better idea which one you might want to pick up this spring -- though we also advise checking out our full review of the S9 when it drops next month.
