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India restores some of Kashmir's 4G internet following court ruling
India has restored some of Kashmir's 4G internet access after the Supreme Court said an indefinite shutdown was illegal.
T-Mobile switches on its standalone 5G network in thousands of cities
Unlike other 5G networks in the US, it's not built on top of LTE infrastructure.
Stadia users can now try the service over cellular
After a long wait, Google has started testing cellular streaming on Stadia.
Lenovo Flex 5G review: Stunning battery life ruined by Windows on ARM
I guess the Flex’s 5G antenna takes up a lot of space. Display and audio The Flex 5G’s 14-inch full HD display is decent. The Surface Pro X has a sharper resolution, but I haven’t really noticed a significant difference. Microsoft Surface Pro X Not tested (was not compatible) NA 1.85GB/s / 775.76MB/s
HP's Pavilion x360 14 now comes with 4G LTE
HP's mid-range convertible favourite has been given a revamp.
Qualcomm's new mobile chipsets pack more features for the non-5G crowd
2020 is the year 5G will start making a difference for people, but 4G LTE networks aren't going anywhere. If anything, they'll remain the de facto means of connection for much of the world for years, so it's little surprise to see Qualcomm rolling out a trio of modern, 4G-focused smartphone processors.
'Stranger Things' is coming to 'Rocket League' for Halloween
Rocket League's annual Halloween event is about to get underway and this year, it'll be a crossover with Stranger Things. The Farmstead Arena will take on a distinctly Upside Down vibe, and the Netflix mega-hit's terrifying Mind Flayer will cast an ominous shadow over the field. It's not quite clear yet how or if the monster will affect your attempts to score goals, but Psyonix warned players to "make sure to look after your teammates."
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.
Verizon enlists Boingo to help it bring 5G indoors
Sure, real 5G is up to three times faster than LTE, but there are a few caveats. As we discovered in Chicago, 5G doesn't always hold up when you're trying to use it indoors. Even a pane of glass can cause your signal to flicker between 5G and 4G. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) and Boingo are hoping to change that. The companies are working together to bring 5G Ultra Wideband service to indoor public spaces, like airports, office buildings and stadiums.
Real 5G is nearly three times faster than LTE, but not everywhere
Carriers will tell you that 5G is a huge leap over LTE, but how much better is it in the real world? According to Opensignal's crowdsourced data, it's indeed a lot faster -- but mainly in the US. The research firm has found that peak download speeds on 5G reach just past 1.8Gbps in the States versus 678Mbps for LTE, or about 2.7 times faster. That's owing mainly to the use of millimeter wave spectrum whose ultra-high frequencies (about 30GHz and up) allow such a huge bandwidth boost. Other countries don't have it quite so rosy, though, and there are caveats to the American figures.
FEMA's presidential alerts are an easy target for spoofing attacks
Last fall, FEMA conducted the first nationwide test of its Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system when it beamed a "presidential alert" to all capable phones in the US. WEA has long been used to send alerts about missing children, natural disasters and other dangerous events. But a few years ago, the FCC voted to expand WEA so that, among other changes, government officials could write longer messages. Now, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder warn that WEA's presidential alerts can be easily spoofed.
Alphabet's balloons broadcast LTE two days after Peruvian quake
When a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit Peru Sunday, the Alphabet spinoff Loon was quick to respond. Within 48 hours, Loon delivered its internet-relaying balloons and began providing LTE coverage to users below. While more balloons are on the way, Loon says the speed at which it responded is a testament to the company's potential.
AT&T’s fake 5GE icon is available in the Android Open Source Project
AT&T is still in hot water over its 5GE logo, but that's not slowing the company down. This week, the not-really-5G icon showed up in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Meaning, whether you like it or not, 5GE could start showing up on Android smartphones using AT&T. According to XDA Developers, the AOSP code suggest that phones will only need to use 4G LTE with Carrier Aggregation to prompt the icon, so as critics have said, there's no guarantee that the logo will be anything more than a visual change.
AT&T has the 'fastest wireless network' in the US
Just two days after AT&T declared itself the first 5G carrier in the US to reach gigabit speeds, the company has released a statement claiming it's the fastest wireless network in the nation. The findings come from third party network-testing company Ookla, which cited AT&T's top average US download speed at 40.7Mbps.
Researchers find 36 security flaws in LTE
Security experts aren't done poking holes in LTE's armor -- not by a long shot. South Korean researchers have found 36 vulnerabilities in LTE that enable a range of attacks, some more sinister than others. They include temporary inconveniences like disconnecting someone from the cell network through to eavesdropping and controlling the data itself. The team found the abundance of exploits by using a custom "fuzzing" (feeding large chunks of random data to look for irregularities) tool.
T-Mobile opens a home internet trial in rural and underserved areas
T-Mobile is rolling out home internet service with an invitation-only trial starting today. It hopes to connect 50,000 homes in rural and underserved areas through the LTE program this year.
Fi's GPS pet tracker lasts three months between charges
From keys to luggage, smart technology lets us keep track of pretty much everything these days -- and that includes our pets. Whistle is perhaps the most prominent company in the pet tracking business, but now a new contender has entered the ring with a feature-packed dog collar that makes keeping tabs on our furry friends even easier. Fi's smart GPS dog collar monitors your pet's activity, tracks its location instantly and, most importantly, has a whopping three-month battery life.
Security flaws in 4G and 5G allow snooping on phone users
Security researchers are already poking holes in 5G mere months into its existence. They've discovered three flaws in 4G and 5G that could be used to intercept phone calls and track someone's location. The first and most important, Torpedo, relies on a flaw in the paging protocol that notifies phones of incoming calls and texts. If you start and cancel several calls in a short period, you can send a paging message without alerting the device to a call. That not only lets you track the device's location, but opens the door to two other attacks.
AT&T's LTE is now an option on all Airstream camping trailers
You no longer have to be overly picky about your choice of trailer if you want to stay online during a cross-country trip. Airstream has extended its team-up with AT&T to make LTE access available to any Airstream trailer, not just the 2019 Classic. If you want to connect your Basecamp or Globetrotter while you're camping, it's just a question of paying up.
Google Fi adds support for next-gen RCS text messaging
Google is putting its money where its mouth is when coming to support for next-gen texting. It's starting off 2019 by introducing RCS chat to Google Fi. So long as you have a supporting Fi-friendly Android phone (more on that in a bit), you can share higher-quality media, message over WiFi, see who's typing and get message receipts. It'll be automatically enabled if you have a "designed for Fi" phone, and will kick in if you set Google's official Messages app as your default.
