walkie talkie
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Russia bans Zello's walkie-talkie app
Russia is further cracking down on political dissent by banning Zello's walkie-talkie app.
AT&T's public safety network knows which floor first responders are on
AT&T has upgraded its FirstNet first responder network with new support for vertical GPS, walkie talkies and rural emergencies.
Apple reportedly shelves 'walkie talkie' iPhone feature
Apple has put its plans for a 'walkie talkie' iPhone feature on hold, The Information reports. The technology would have allowed people with iPhones (in a certain vicinity) to send messages over long-distance radio waves when cellular networks weren't available. It would have functioned a bit like a walkie talkie for text messages and allowed iPhone users to communicate in remote areas.
Apple releases iOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3 with Walkie Talkie bug fix
The releases of iOS 13, watchOS 6 and macOS Catalina are likely just a couple of months away, but that isn't stopping Apple from giving the current versions a big sendoff. The tech behemoth has released iOS 12.4, HomePod 12.4, tvOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3 and macOS 10.14.6, most of which bring important tweaks. The iOS update is most useful if you're setting up a new iPhone -- you can wireless transfer data directly from an old handset to a new one instead of restoring from iCloud or iTunes. Apple News has also seen some refinements, with downloaded issues showing up in My Magazines and all News+ publications appearing in the catalog at the top of the feed.
'Stranger Things 3' pays respect to the power and perils of tech
Warning: While we've tried to avoid any spoilers in this story, the following article does refer to scenes and themes throughout the season. When members of the Stranger Things cast visited The Tonight Show earlier this month, Jimmy Fallon asked them to use one word to describe the new season. "Bigger," said Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the role of Dustin Henderson in Netflix's '80s-nostalgia-mining hit show. And Matarazzo wasn't kidding. During its first two seasons, Stranger Things mostly centered around the kids' homes and their high school in Hawkins, Indiana. Although it did also include forms of them in the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. But in Stranger Things 3, which premieres on July 4th, that world is getting even bigger thanks to new characters, new local attractions, new cities and new countries becoming an essential part of the story.
Instagram adds walkie-talkie voice messages
You no longer have to strike up a live conversation if you want voice chats on Instagram -- the social network has launched walkie-talkie style voice messaging feature for direct messages. If you want to speak your mind, you only have to hold down a microphone button to record a message that your recipients (either individuals or groups) can play on their own time. You can deliver a heartfelt message if text seems too impersonal, or dash off a quick reply when you don't have both hands free.
Engadget giveaway: Win a pair of GoTenna off-the-grid communicators!
Camping and hiking trips can be doubly relaxing since you're often left without cell service and have no choice but to enjoy nature undistracted. If you get separated from fellow travelers and need to communicate, though, having a tool like GoTenna can be a lifesaver. This long-range radio transmitter and receiver connects locally via Bluetooth to the GoTenna app on mobile devices (iOS and Android). You can send private one-to-one or group messages and even share GPS coordinates with other users in the area. For most outdoor terrains, the range is between one and four miles. If you're using them in urban areas, it's around one mile or less, but that's still useful for finding nearby friends at crowded events where cell service is overloaded. The company has provided us with two pairs of GoTennas for a couple of lucky readers this week. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. Winners: Congratulations to Manuel O. of Brooklyn, NY and Adrian T. of Toronto, ONT!
Daily iPhone App: Zello lets you chat walkie-talkie style with friends, co-workers
After years of living in an area with no cell service -- but with a very active radio tower -- I grew accustomed to talking with my husband using a ham radio instead of text messaging. Now that cell coverage has improved, we no longer use our ham radios and have switched to the iPhone. To recapture that walkie-talkie style of communication, we recently started using the Zello+ Walkie Talkie app. Zello+ is an instant, Nextel-style push to talk communication app that uses your mobile broadband connection to exchange short audio messages. The app lets you talk one-on-one to a single person or in a channel with a group of people. It requires a Zello account that is available for free. After you set up your account in the Zello app, you can add Zello contacts and start talking. The app has a large red button in the center of the screen that is very easy to locate and press. You don't even have to look at your phone, as the button is the dominant element in the app. Like most walkie-talkies, there is an alert function that lets you "ring" a person before you start talking. This feature is helpful when you want to talk to someone, and you don't know where they are. You wouldn't want your message to broadcast out loud during an important business meeting, for example. The alert uses the iOS notification system to let the person know that you want to talk to them. Zello has a few useful features that set it apart from its competition. The app stores your most recent conversation so you can re-listen to a message that you missed or forgot about. It works with a headset, your phone's built-in speaker or a wired mic. It also works great over 4G, 3G, and GPRS/EDGE. I haven't measured it directly, but I can say that in all my usage, Zello contributes very little to my overall data consumption. The Zello+ app is free and is meant for consumers. It's cross platform and works on an iPhone, Android device, BlackBerry phone or PC. If you are a business owner and want to use the system with your employees, Zello offers an @work service that is free for up to five employees. Pricing starts at $10 per month per user for businesses with more than five employees. The @work option provides a web-based management tool, encrypted messages and more.
Runbo X5 and X3 rugged Android phones moonlight as walkie-talkies, cost just $320
We've seen a handful of rugged Androids in our time, but none are as affordable and as weird as these ones at CES. The backstory here is that a couple of Chinese guys in camouflage gear approached us at our CES stage, and after an awkward conversation, it turned out that they just wanted to show us the three rugged phones they brought all the way from Shenzhen. Starting from the right we have the Runbo (like Rambo?) X1 IP67-certified featurephone cum walkie-talkie, which packs a 2-inch 176 × 144 display, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, a laser pointer, quad-band GSM plus 800MHz CDMA cellular radios, 400 to 470MHz range for the software-configurable walkie-talkie (parts of the spectrum may require a licence, depending on your country), a surprisingly loud speaker and a 2,200mAh battery. This will be available for ¥980 or about $160 on Taobao online store (the Chinese equivalent of eBay) in the next couple of days, and we've been told that there will also be a variant with GPS added. But the real stars of the show are the two brick-sized vanilla Android 4.0.4 devices. The phone pictured in the middle is the Runbo X5, a device featuring a 1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 MTK6577 chipset, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD expansion, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 IPS display, an app-triggered laser pointer, an eight-megapixel main camera, a 0.3-megapixel front camera, a super loud speaker (again) and a massive removable 3,800mAh battery. And yes, this also comes with a 400 to 470MHz walkie-talkie radio (up to 10km range; with detachable antenna), along with the additional 850/1900/2100 WCDMA radio, two SIM slots (WCDMA plus GSM), WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. These specs are the same for the Runbo X3 on the left, except for the smaller 3.5-inch 800 x 480 IPS panel to make space for the QWERTY keyboard below it. The best part here are the prices: both of these IP67-certified devices are available on Taobao or the official website for just ¥1,999 or about $320, which is a bargain for both the ruggedness and the fact that these double as standard walkie-talkies. US folks can also order directly from eBay for $380, which is also a steal. But does this surprisingly low price reflect the quality? Find out in our hands-on after the break.
Cobra Vedetta speed trap detectors and CXT two-way radios make for a manly drive
There's a traffic cop on the road ahead and he's just waiting to slap a fine on your speed-freakin' self. But it's cool: Cobra's new Vedetta range of radar/laser detectors will tell you to hit the brakes 30 percent sooner than the previous XRS models, and they additionally come with 2.4-inch LCD displays, the ability to mount almost anywhere on your windscreen or dash, plus optional integrated GPS and access the company's AURA database of known speed traps. Soon as you're back down to 50MPH, you can warn the rest of your undercover convoy to do the same, thanks to the new Cobra CXT two-way radio line-up featuring a range up to 35 miles, NOAA Weather Radio and a dedicated button for crude one-liners. Read on for the press releases, but don't expect much detail on pricing or availability -- at least until CES rolls around.
Motorola Admiral spied in the wild, waiting patiently for its turn to sail out of harbor
We can't imagine this Admiral wants to stick around in the docks for much longer, yet its date of departure from port is still unclear. Fortunately, the Motorola Admiral -- the device that we presume will become the fearless leader of the Direct Connect fleet -- is one nautical mile closer to the sea of finished products, now that we've been handed some pics of the skipper itself in the wild. It's exactly as we've expected, as it looks rather close to the version we saw in the now-pulled "official" video. According to the image snapper, the Admiral is "awkward to hold due to the bottom being so thin and the phone being very top heavy." It's also known as the XT603, and unsurprisingly runs on Moto's proprietary UI (formerly called MotoBlur). We didn't hear of any change in the specs, so for now we're still expecting to see the military-certified handset come with a 1.2GHz single-core Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, Android 2.3, 3.1-inch VGA display, a 5MP rear camera with 720p HD video capture and a 1,860mAh battery. One more pic of the sides below. Sound off, loose cannons -- is this Admiral going to command your next two-year contract? [Thanks, anonymous]
Landline breakthrough: VTech announces a DECT 6.0 walkie-talkie
Landline phones might be for squares and cops, but VTech hasn't give up trying to make 'em interesting: its new LS6325 set is the first DECT 6.0 push-to-talk cordless on the market. That means you can get your walkie-talkie on at up to 1,500 feet -- not bad. The three-handset pack will be $80 and the four-pack will be $90 when they launch in April. See, its not all tablet news around here -- we bring you scoops.
Movie Gadget Friday: Sunshine
Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.Last month on Movie Gadget Friday we reviewed the rough and rugged modified gadgets of the post-apocalyptic era in The Road Warrior. Shifting from stick shifts to spaceships, this week examines the pre-apocalyptic adventure of a team of astronauts tasked with re-igniting the sun by delivering a massive payload in Sunshine. Based in 2057, this near-futuristic film has heavy influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. With relatively unexplained artificial gravity, inner-spaceship scooters and gold leaf heat-deflecting spacesuits, many of the gadgets and technology are taken for granted in this 2007 release. 3D Projection CubeStructured as a small room on board Icarus II, the 3D projection deck serves as a way to boost astronauts' spirits and calculate routes. Translucent walls with embedded light-emitting cells make up the entire cube of a room, allowing for an interactive 3-dimensional experience without the need for external projectors. It's unseen yet as to if this experience requires the use of optical tracking cameras for a gestural user interface. Specific cells have the ability to toggle on or off depending on the specific need of the projection. While this gadget realistically blows away any CAVE we've seen (guesstimating these visuals to be upwards of 100 million pixels), the tactile-keyboard-loving-geek in us is still unrealistically holding out for a touchable hologram to toy with. More after the break.
MetroPCS extends push-to-talk to wireline users
MetroPCS has come up with a novel -- and long overdue -- concept where push-to-talkers can now irritate wireline subscribers, too. Kodiac Networks, which is behind the ChatLink service has stated this is the first system that will see PTT extended to users without a client. MetroPCS subscribers will now have the ability to create a friends network of up to 10 people and by simply hitting any key on their phone will be able to join in the push-to-talk fun. The service is set to cost only $5 per month, so what you waiting for, Unlimit Yourself.
Motorola lets loose TLKR T3 / T5 walkie talkies
Leave it to Motorola to unleash yet another completely corny prefix to label its newest two-way radios. Yes, we wish we were kidding about the "TLKR" part, but sadly, it's very real. Nevertheless, the TLKR T3 touts eight channels, up to 20-hours of battery life, around five-kilometers of range, a sleep mode, channel scan / monitor, an LCD screen, and comes in blue, orange and red colors schemes. As for the T5, it boasts a six-kilometer range, a backlit LCD, handsfree functionality, five call tones, slightly worse battery life, and arrives in red, blue, or black. Currently, pricing details haven't been nailed down, but you can snap these up (if you can get over the name) next month.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Motorola i425 walkie talkie phone for Boost Mobile
Where Motorola pulled this one from we'll never know, but Irvine based Boost Mobile is soon to start distributing the i425, which is apparently the world's thinnest walkie talkie phone. Besides being one of the best looking Motorola phones in a while, the i425 features GPS, instant messaging, and is crafted out of 100% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate material (whatever that is.) Before you go off and start extolling the virtues of the "new Moto," realize that one essential feature is missing from the phone. So, we ask you Motorola / Boost Mobile, why no Bluetooth?[Thanks, James]
Sprint links both its networks for walkie-talkie call
Although Sprint has decided to dump the Nextel name from all its marketing efforts, it is (of course) keeping that billion-dollar iDEN network operational. To drive that point home, the wireless carrier made the first walkie-talkie connection between two different phones (one on each network) recently. Yes, Nextel's "Direct Connect" talked to Sprint's upgraded EV-DO revision A network as the carrier prepares to make that newer EV-DO revision A network interoperable with the older iDEN network sometime next year when it comes to that chirping walkie talkie feature.
Solo's bus stop ad enables life-size chatting with strangers
Hot on the heels of Nokia's own bus stop gimmick comes none other than Solo, which has erected a clever display on a number of waiting areas to allow perfect strangers to yap it up on giant mobiles. The interactive billboards each sport a larger-than-usual flip phone, which allows curious onlookers to mash an enlarged walkie talkie button and get on the horn with a faraway stranger. The active two-way radio setup was reportedly installed in transit shelters in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary, and the system supposedly connects users in the different cities to one another when a conversation is initiated. Unfortunately, Engadget HQ doesn't happen to reside in the land of the Canucks, so for our brethren in the north, why not stop on by and give a shout to a fellow Canadian, eh?[Via Core77]
The AK-47 Walkie Talkie phone
The AK-47 Walkie Talkie phone is the perfect thing for that urban warrior on your gift list, featuring a built in dual band 900 / 1800 GSM phone and working Walkie Talkie all bundled in a slick retro handset. Packed in its cleverly designed carrying case -- replete with a Chinese Army red star -- is the handset, headset, USB cable, instruction booklet (in Chinese only), and thanks to the belt strap, it's ready to accent any modern military ensemble. With a huge 6800 mAh battery, this 255 gram handset will give you one month of standby time or 30 to 50 hours of talk time, which is ideal for really extended assignments or cross-country treks. Rounding out a pretty full list of specs is a 2.2 inch touchscreen, 2 megapixel "shooter" (that's a pun, get it?), GPRS connectivity, MP3 ringtones, LCD flashlight, and a microSD slot that supports up to 1GB. All of this mighty backwoods mojo can be yours for the paltry sum of $225.
Embarq to offer PTT on Sanyo 2400
Sprint-Nextel landline spinoff Embarq is starting to look more and more like its ol' corporate parent; first, it promptly gets right back into the wireless business, and now it's going all Nextel on us by offering push-to-talk. The service, dubbed "Wireless Press & Talk" (how creative), is initially being offered on the Sanyo 2400 clamshell -- a phone that goes out the door on the cheap at $30 with a two-year agreement. With the meager one megabyte of internal memory, we think we're understanding the value pricing, but (for the time being) it's the only game in town for PTT on the MVNO. The Sanyo 2400 and Wireless Press & Talk are both available immediately.
