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AT&T will sever ties with location aggregators as well
Earlier this week, a Motherboard report described just how it easy it was for anyone to get the location of another person's phone. By handing over $300 to a bounty hunter, the publication was able to buy the location of a specific phone, which was accurate to within a few hundred meters. And the process showed just how flawed the data chain is between mobile carriers and the companies they provide location data to. Now, carriers are cutting ties with location aggregators, and AT&T is the latest to announce its plans to do so.
T-Mobile starts verifying callers to fight spam
More US carriers are taking steps to prevent junk calls from reaching your phone. T-Mobile has launched a Caller Verified system that uses new standards (SHAKEN and STIR) to fight caller ID spoofing and ensure the number you see is real. Ideally, this makes it harder for ad spammers and tech support scammers to dodge screening efforts and blacklist apps.
How Intel sees itself playing a role in the 5G rollout
The 5G hype has been brewing for years, and we're finally on the cusp of it becoming a reality. Every company wants in on the action, and Intel doesn't plan on being left out. At CES, the chip maker launched its Snow Ridge networking SoC that's centered around 5G internet access. It'll first launch in wireless base stations -- a market that Intel hasn't yet entered. By the end of the year, the company will also deliver its first 5G modem. It's behind competitors like Qualcomm in that, but Intel aims to be in every part of the process that gets data from a server to your phone or laptop. Intel's senior vice president of the network platforms group Sandra Rivera joined us on stage at CES to explain how the company is going to tackle 5G,
T-Mobile blocks aggregator following customer location tracking scandal
T-Mobile has blocked requests submitted by Zumigo from accessing device location data, according to Gizmodo. The carrier has cut off the controversial company known for being a data aggregator after a Motherboard report revealed that T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint are selling customer data in an unregulated market. T-Mobile also said that it's nearly done cutting ties with third-party data aggregators like it promised to do last year.
Samsung may unveil its foldable phone and Galaxy S10 on February 20th (update)
Samsung has traditionally launched its new Galaxy S phones at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress. This year, though, it appears it's breaking with tradition. Wall Street Journal reports that the company will be showing off its 10th anniversary flagship phone line up and its much-anticipated foldable phone at events in San Francisco and London on February 20th. Initial reports suggested we'd have to wait until March to see the foldable, rumored to be called the "Galaxy F".
The Honor View 20 squeezes lots of quirks into a gorgeous body
To say Huawei has a complicated relationship with the United States is a pretty massive understatement, but it's still here at CES showing off laptops, a mobile photo printer and the surprisingly nice Honor View 20. (A note for people who don't routinely follow Chinese phone makers: Honor is Huawei's budget phone brand.)
Vote for the Best of CES 2019 People's Choice Award
We've announced our Best of CES finalists so now it's time for you to cast your vote for your favorite gadget at CES 2019! Just head over here (or below) to pick your three favorite items from our pool of finalists. You have until 6 PM ET tomorrow, January 10th, to get your votes in.
Presenting the Best of CES 2019 finalists!
Our editors have been hard at work the past few days finding the latest and greatest gadgets here at CES 2019. Now, after a long and arduous debate, we're ready to announce our finalists for the official Best of CES awards. Below you'll find our selections for all 15 categories, which range from best wearables to the most impactful products we've seen at the show. We'll announce our category winners tomorrow, which is also when we'll reveal our Best of the Best award recipient, the most coveted prize of all. That special award is selected from our pool of category winners. If you want your voice heard too, no worries! There's an additional category for the People's Choice, where you can vote for your favorite entry from our compilation of finalists. Just head on over to our poll to vote, and the one with the most votes will win our special People's Choice award. All award winners will be announced at a ceremony tomorrow at our CES stage, so be sure to come back right here on Engadget around 5PM PT/8PM ET Thursday to watch it all unfold.
AT&T doubles down on its 5G fib
AT&T is facing quite the pushback over its decision to label its upgraded LTE network as "5G Evolution," and not just from rival carriers (yes, including Engadget parent Verizon) taking cheap shots at a competitor. However, it's determined to stick by its decision. In an interview with Tom's Guide, the company's Igal Elbaz defended the decision. AT&T had been "pretty public" about what it was doing for some time, he said, and the indicator helps them know they're in an "enhanced experience" coverage area. He added that all of the provider's relevant hardware investment was "5G ready," so it just had to flick a software switch to enable the new technology on its end once both the code and devices were available.
T-Mobile's focuses on customer service and price seem to be working
No, T-Mobile hasn't stopped bragging about how well it's doing. The magenta network offered a peek at what it called its "best quarter ever" for customer additions, noting that it had racked up a record 2.4 million total net additions in the fourth quarter of 2018. About 1 million of those were regular (postpaid) phone subscribers, which represented the best performance in the past four years. There were 79.7 million customers on the carrier by the end of 2018.
Instagram will let you post to multiple accounts at once
If you have multiple Instagram accounts, a new feature could make posting to all of them a little easier for you. With the iOS version of Instagram, users will be able to share the same post to any or all of their accounts at the same time, TechCrunch reports. All you'll need to do is flip the toggle next to the accounts you want to publish to when you're composing a post. "We are rolling out this feature to provide a better experience for people who often post to multiple accounts," the company told TechCrunch.
Google activity cards now help you find previous searches
After months of teasing, Google is making it easier to resume your past searches. The internet pioneer is rolling out activity cards that will show what you've looked for based on various topics, whether it's a new workout regimen or a recipe. So long as you're logged in, you can tap a "your related activity" option to see links you've already visited as well as past queries. There's even a dash of Pinterest to it -- you can save pages to a collection if you need to look at them later.
Apple reportedly hires former Facebook privacy employee turned critic
Apple has hired a former Facebook employee, turned Facebook critic, as part of its privacy team, the Financial Times reports. Sandy Parakilas worked at Facebook between 2011 and 2012, leading the company's third-party privacy and policy compliance efforts, and recently, he's spoken out about the social media giant's privacy practices. Last year, when it was revealed that Facebook had shared detailed user data with major mobile device makers, Parakilas told The New York Times that the practice had been noted internally as a privacy issue. "It is shocking that this practice may still continue six years later, and it appears to contradict Facebook's testimony to Congress that all friend permissions were disabled," he said at the time.
Apple is reportedly cutting iPhone production by 10 percent
Apple lowering its earnings guidance by a whopping $5 billion is probably a big enough indicator that the tech giant is feeling the effects of struggling smartphone sales and the US-China trade war. A new Nikkei report makes it even clearer that the tech giant isn't immune to market saturation, though: According to the publication, Cupertino has asked its suppliers to manufacture fewer iPhones than planned for January to March. Apple is reportedly cutting the overall production target of both old and new iPhones, including the XS Max, XS and XR, by around 10 percent.
'Yoshi's Crafted World' for Switch is coming out on March 29th
In a couple of months, you'll be able to embark on an adventure as Yoshi across a game that was created to look like a miniature diorama crafted from household items. Nintendo has announced that the action platformer Yoshi's Crafted World will be exclusively available for the Nintendo Switch starting on March 29th. Its themed stages will have you solving puzzles and finding treasures hidden in sets that use familiar elements like boxes, paper cups, washi tapes and buttons. If you want to spice things up, you can either play with a friend in 2-player mode or play stages backward.
OtterBox partners up for PopSocket case and better screen protectors
Phone case maker OtterBox is feeling mighty friendly these days. The company announced a partnership with PopSocket to create a phone case that has the ubiquitous accessory built right into it. It also revealed it is working with Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning to bring OtterBox's first line of glass screen protectors to market.
It's way too easy for bounty hunters to get your phone location data
Wireless carriers are supposed to keep a tight leash on your location information, but that's not the case in practice. Motherboard has learned that network location data is reaching bounty hunters and others who aren't supposed to have it. Effectively, it's the result of a flawed data chain. Carriers like AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile (more on Engadget's parent Verizon in a bit) are relatively strict, passing their info to data aggregators like Zumigo and requiring consent before those aggregators' clients are allowed to use that data. However, things quickly get out of hand. Third parties like Microbilt have sold that data to everyone from bail bond companies to landlords, and those companies promptly use or resell it without telling the affected people.
Sprint says AT&T is 'blatantly misleading consumers' with fake 5G
Sprint has blasted AT&T after the latter made it seem Android phones on its network are connected to a version of 5G. It updated the LTE icon on the devices to read "5GE" (for "5G Evolution"), but the phones are still using 4G connections. "AT&T is blatantly misleading consumers -- 5GE is not real 5G," Sprint CTO Dr. John Saw said in a statement to Engadget.
'David Bowie Is' AR exhibit puts Ziggy Stardust on your phone
Sony Music has a fitting tribute for David Bowie on what would have been his 72nd birthday: its promised virtual museum exhibit dedicated to the music legend. David Bowie Is has launched for both Android and iOS, giving you an augmented reality tour of memorabilia that previously required a lengthy physical visit. You'll see famous costumes, photos, handwritten notes and videos, including items that were either limited to the Brooklyn Museum appearance or are exclusive to the app. You can see documents and props from the Blackstar era, watch live performances and glimpse at footage from the experimental DIamond Dogs movie.
Lenovo's 2-in-1 Android tablet turns into an Echo Show clone
At last year's Alexa event, Amazon teased that Lenovo would be making a tablet with Echo Show capabilities. Now at CES, we finally know more details about it. It's called the Lenovo Smart Tab, and it works as a 2-in-1 device -- a full Android tablet on its own, but it transforms into an Alexa Smart Display when placed inside a smart speaker dock.
